The Sun Princess
by PisceanPal23
Summary: When a mission sends Naruto, Hinata and Shikamaru to a deserted and forgotten temple to find a missing archaeologist, they find out that the dark can be a mysterious and dangerous thing. Whoever said history doesn't repeat itself was very wrong...
1. A New Mission: The Missing Archaeologist

**Hello everyone! This is not my first time writing fiction, however it is my first time writing in this genre. I hope that it is well received, as I have a special attachment to it. I've been working on it forever, really! I am a University student, and life does get in the way. I hope that, by starting to post, any reviews I get and people waiting to read more will inspire me to keep at it with a schedule. I am starting a new chapter in my life in two weeks (I've been accepted into a prestigious program at my University, new living arrangements, ect.), so I hope that won't affect my schedule too much.**

**Anyways, enough ranting. I hope you enjoy the first chapter. Remember, I do accept all criticisms. I am also looking for a beta for my work, just to keep tabs on my work and to help me when I'd like an opinion. Anyhoo, I hope you all enjoy the first chapter everyone!**

**A/N: I do not own the main characters. You all know the drill. I also don't own the song this story was named after.**

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><p><strong>The Sun Princess<strong>

_*~*When a mission sends Naruto, Hinata and Shikamaru to a deserted and forgotten temple to find a missing archaeologist, they find out that the dark can be a mysterious and dangerous thing. Whoever said history doesn't repeat itself was very wrong...*~*_

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><p>"<em>It is said that, hidden somewhere in the mountains of the world, there exists a strange yet glorious place that is forever bathed in only the most pure of sunlight. This place came to be known as the Valley of the Cosmos. After a time, wanderers from afar ventured into this place and created a small settlement, which quickly grew into a large and prosperous city. In the Valley of the Cosmos, crops always grew into plentiful harvests, and hunting parties were always successful, while never harming the populations. The land was fully a fully sustainable paradise. The people of the Valley, who simply came to be known as 'Starlings', were finally at peace, and the Valley was in balance.<em>

"_However, there were others who lived near the Valley...interlopers who had become lost in the darkness of the mountains and longed to rule the Valley. They declared themselves rulers of the Valley and its people, and started to disrupt the balance of the once glorious sun-filled paradise. They started to overhunt the animals and overfish the lakes. They polluted the farmlands and the water sources. Soon, the large trees and beautiful flowers began to die. The people started to go hungry in drought as the sun seemed to become hotter, and stifling. With the lack of safe water, and the loss of the protection of the trees, the once providing sun became a curse. The land became as a wasteland, and the Valley of the Cosmos stood stark against the mountains once again, naked to the sky. No longer a hidden paradise, but a hell to be seen by all. _

"_Soon after, the interlopers started to enslave the people to serve their own needs. A great, menacing palace was built into the mountainside at the interlopers' behest, and all the Starlings were put to work to complete it. When the Starlings had had enough, they started to oppose their new leadership, rioting and damaging the palace they were forced to create. _

"_It was then that the true terror of the interlopers was revealed. Wielding strange staffs, they sent creatures of pure terror upon the people, creatures of pure darkness, to regain total control over the people. Those who still opposed the interlopers were hunted by the creatures of darkness, and were never heard from again. Soon after the dark creatures were summoned, the sun, once a heavenly beacon that never set, was blotted out by dark clouds that emanated from the creature themselves, bringing death and despair. The Valley of the Cosmos was soon covered in a darkness that further destroyed the spirit of the once prosperous Starlings. The interlopers had cemented their leadership, and led a cruel monarchy, as they named themselves ruler of the Valley of Darkness. One particularly strong man whom the others revered and obeyed was named the King of the Valley. _

"_The Starlings lamented their misfortune, and prayed for a saviour to free them from the horrors of the dark. And one day, their prayers were answered in the form of a beautiful woman. She could produce light from her fingertips, and could see darkness with her pure eyes. She moved with fluid grace and speed, and possessed a sharp but kind mind, and thought only of others. She went forth at the behest of the people to banish the interlopers. Using the powers of light she contained within her, she vanquished her foes and destroyed the creatures of darkness, finally ending with a showdown with the King of the Darkness. She emerged the victor, and expelled the King from the Valley. She succeeded in removing the curtain of clouds, and the sun once more shined on the Valley of the Cosmos, bringing life once more. The Starlings came to view the woman as their ruler, and she accepted the role with grace and honour. Using her great skill in many things, she slowly brought about balance and peace in the Valley, and harmony between the animals, plants, people and the sun returned. This woman came to be known in her reign, for bringing the light back into the lives of the Starlings and the Valley of the Cosmos, as the Sun Princess._

"_This is the legend of the Sun Princess, its origins unknown, passed down from mother to daughter so that they may grow to be the beacon of hope that the Sun Princess was to her own people."_

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><p><strong>Chapter One: A New Mission: The Missing Archaeologist<strong>

The day dawned bright in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and beams of light flitted into the high open windows of the Hokage's office. What it illuminated was the seemingly ever-present stacks of papers lying haphazardly across the floor and desk of the blonde woman who now ruled Konoha. The Hokage was pretty, despite her blonde hair and young looks being enhanced through chakra techniques. Her face deceived all, as she was now above fifty years old. Many reproached her messy ways and bad habits, but no one could deny her spirit was full of fire and she was a strong leader. Her brown eyes were now scanning a sheet she had in her hands, her brow furrowed in concentration. Her assistant Shizune stood next to her, looking towards the center of the room at the three shinobi that stood there, all waiting to know why they were called there, but knowing it was for something important. Shizune smiled sympathetically as she turned her gaze to her long time friend. While she greatly respected Lady Tsunade, she knew how frustrating she could be at times.

Suddenly, Tsunade shot her gaze towards the three ninjas standing in front of her. One jumped as the steely gaze fell upon her; the other two looked up lazily. "This season has been very hard on the villages and farms surrounding the Leaf Village." She began, still staring intensely at the three standing in front of her. "There has been a strain of illness hitting the farms, and so Sakura and Ino, accompanied by Sai, are making rounds, tending to the sick."

"Hmm...Ino is happy about that, I bet." Said the ninja to Tsunade's right. He slouched, and shrugged, his hands in his pockets. His dark hair was drawn back with a band, and his narrow eyes viewed Tsunade indifferently. However, Tsunade shot him a dark look, and he shrunk back, with mutters of how much of a drag this was.

"Kiba has been asked by his mother and sister to help train some ninja hounds, and Shino is helping his father develop some new technique involving insects."

The middle ninja, a petite girl, smiled as she heard of her teammates, proud that they were able to use their talents to help their families. She turned her head to her left, where the dark-haired ninja spoke up again. "And what about Choji?"

Tsunade grimaced. "It was his father's birthday yesterday, and they had a barbeque to celebrate it."

He rolled his eyes, sighing in a knowing way. "Oh man..."

A new sound was heard, a loud infectious laugh emanating from the ninja to Tsunade's left. The blonde boy was doubled over, holding his stomach in laughter. "That's Choji for ya! He's probably in the hospital recovering from a stomach pumping!" And he continued laughing. Even the shy kunoichi in the middle had to smile.

Tsunade gritted her teeth at the misfits in front of her. She took her fist and slammed it on the table. "Enough!" She screamed, and abruptly the three ninja in front of her jumped, and got into a line in front of her. As if to further intimidate them, Tsunade stood up from her desk, leaning towards them. "You are the only shinobi I can spare at the moment for the mission that has just came in. It's of utmost importance that we send someone as soon as possible. We have a missing person."

"A missing person?" The blonde haired boy asked. "That sounds important."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "Of course it's important. The missing person's partner, an archaeologist, just arrived here late last night after running here from an archaeological site, discovered recently up in the mountain ranges to the northeast. It's a day's run, no breaks."

The Kunoichi looked concerned. "Is the archaeologist okay?"

"He's fine. But he's extremely worried for his partner, who went missing while exploring the temple that was found. The only thing remaining is a brush she used to wipe away dust. And she couldn't have escaped from the temple, because he was working in the main hall. This is an A-Rank mission. You'll need to leave immediately."

The three ninja nodded their understanding, the levity of the situation halting any antics. "Naruto Uzumaki, Hinata Hyuga, Shikamaru Nara," She addressed the ninja from left to right, and they nodded, "You will set out for the Starless Mountain Range, accompanied by the archaeologist who asked for this mission, and I expect you to come home with the good news that you found the missing archaeologist. Shikamaru is team leader, so you obey his orders. Understood?"

They nodded. "Yes."

Tsunade smiled. "Good." She looked to Shizune now, who nodded and left the room. As the door shut behind her, Shikamaru stood up straight and addressed the Hokage.

"If you don't mind me asking," He started, "What archaeological site are we talking about? The Starless Mountain Ranges are mountains that are so high that no one has ever been known to climb them and return. A constant mist covers the top of the peaks, so the general area is dangerous and unknown. Where on the mountains was this temple found?"

Tsunade shrugged. "I'm not completely sure. All I know is that this temple is somewhere in the mountainside. It's not all the way up, so it is accessible, but hard to locate, which is why Haruki Kimura will be going with you. He's the archaeologist. What I can tell you is that what has been found in the ruins is very intriguing. I think that you'll be very interested in what's there, Shikamaru."

As she said this, Shizune returned with a man behind her. The man was only in his twenties, with auburn hair and brown eyes. His face was tanned, as if he had spent many days in the sun. He was handsome, yet he had a look of intelligence, and his fitness was nothing to laugh at either. He looked quite capable of handling himself. However, he looked dead tired, and a sense of urgency was visible in his eyes. "And this," Tsunade said, "Is Haruki Kimura. Haruki, these are the ninja who will be accompanying you. Meet Naruto Uzumaki, Hinata Hyuga, and Shikamaru Nara." As she introduced the ninja, Haruki took a long glace at Hinata, until she blushed and looked away. No one else noticed the exchange. Tsunade continued. "They may look young, but I have full belief that they will help you find Akiko."

He smiled shakily. "I hope so, Lady Hokage. How long until we head off?"

"In half an hour." She replied, looking towards the ninja. "Go home and get your stuff, meet Haruki at the north entrance, and head off. Go."

"Right." The three replied in unison, and they dispersed as if shadows. Each took off with their own thoughts, Shikamaru's usually bored expression taking on a thoughtful one as he imagined the old ruins, Hinata's elation at going on a mission with Naruto, and Naruto's excitement to finally go on a mission more important than chasing the Daimyo's wife's cat.

"Naruto's late. As usual. What a drag." Shikamaru said as he stood with Hinata and Haruki at the large wooden gates of the Hidden Leaf Village. He hoisted his pack further up on his shoulders in agitation.

"He better get here soon, this is important." Haruki said as he paced back and forth. "We need to find Akiko as soon as we can. Who knows what may have happened to her."

Hinata looked at Haruki sympathetically. "Don't worry, Haruki," She said, her voice soft and consoling, "Naruto will be here any second, and then we can head out."

"I hope so." Said Haruki, sighing in frustration as he continued to pace. His face still showed signs of fatigue, but he looked too worried to be bothered by it. He stopped, however, and fixed his gaze once again upon Hinata. He narrowed his eyes at her, almost suspiciously, but Hinata pretended this time not to notice. Her strange eyes, a well-known bloodline trait that made her family well near nobles of the Hidden Leaf Villlage, were almost pure white except for pale lilac irises, and usually garnered her strange looks from people. She determined that Haruki's staring at her twice like this was simply for that reason. After a few seconds, Haruki resumed his pacing, only to be interrupted again when Naruto was seen running towards them at full pace, shouting some unintelligible to them.

Hinata smiled, seeing him. "See, Haruki? There he comes." Shikamaru and Haruki turned towards the village again, and saw Naruto running towards them...

And then landing flat on his face when he tripped.

Hinata winced, and was about to go and see if he was all right when he righted himself, still smiling. "Hey guys! Sorry I'm late! I just had to run to the store to pick up some food..."

"Yes, yes, you're here now." Haruki said, a frown darkening his features. "Now that we're all here, we can head out now. Just follow me and keep up. We need to cover a lot of ground today if we want to even make it to the bottom of the mountains by tomorrow. And then we have to hike upwards all day." Straightening the pack he had received from the Hokage, he turned away from Konaha and set off at a run angling north-east. His hasty actions caught the three of them off guard.

"Hey, wait Haruki!" Naruto called, as he finally caught up with Hinata and Shikamaru, who were now starting to take off after the already disappearing man. _"Man, he's rude," _Naruto thought, frowning. _"What's with this guy?"_

"We need to conserve our energy." Shikamaru said, finally catching up to Haruki, "If we rush like this, we'll be tired before we reach the mountain base..."

"I won't tire," He replied, still keeping up his insane pace, "so it's up to you to keep up. We can't waste any time being slow when Akiko could be in danger."

Shikamaru was about to argue when Naruto bounced in front of him, grinning from ear to ear. "You can bet we won't tire. We'll keep up no matter how long you run, just watch us! Come on guys, let's show him what Konoha shinobi can do!"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow as Naruto passed him, followed by a patient Hinata. He frowned at Naruto's behavior, but didn't say anything more about the subject, and he knew timid Hinata wouldn't complain. The mission was only a few minutes started and already things were getting out of control. "What a drag..." He mumbled to himself as he chased after his companions, further into the forests that led to the looming shadows of mountains in the distance.

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><p><strong>Anyone who wants to apply to beta-read my story can PM me, and I'll get back to you. I hope everyone enjoyed. I shall get a new chapter up in a week. I haven't made an update schedule, so updates may be inconsistent for a while. But I won't make you wait forever. <strong>

**Also, at the end of each chapter I'll leave a song title that acted as inspiration for the chapter feeling. Maybe it will add something if you listen to the songs while reading? This will start next chapter or so. The song the story is based on is 'The Sun Princess' by Ron Korb, a fellow Canadian. You can look up the artist on youtube, and you can find it that way. It's such a Naruto-feeling song. In my opinion anyways.**

**Until next time everyone :) I wish you all the best!**


	2. Dangerous Climb: Storm on the Mountain

**I start now by saying, 'perhaps I am a little overzealous?' I am posting another chapter much sooner than expected because, yes, I forgot how great it felt when your precious work got attention! Thank you everyone who have reviewed, you made my day! And To everyone who alerted this story, you must see something redeemable about this story, and I hope I continue to impress. Here is chapter two :)**

**A/N: Refer to chapter 1.**

**No song for this chapter. That starts next chapter!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Two: Dangerous Climb: The Storm on the Mountain<strong>

Even through the thickest part of the forests that lay in their path, the four travellers managed to keep very near the fast pace that Haruki and Naruto set at the start, and as a result managed to clear the woodlands before Shikamaru had predicted. When the last of the forests had thinned and broken, the three Konoha shinobi gasped at the sight of what lay before them. They had seen plenty of mountains and other amazing sights, but nothing like what was ahead of them. Flat grasslands spread out before them for about a half hours' running, but in the distance, rising from the land like some massive tree, was the largest mountain they had ever seen. Its roots spread out for what looked like miles, leading out in all directions, its colour a stony grey. It spread upwards as well as outwards, shooting up into a massive hanging cloud of light grey-purple mist. Further than the eye could see, the mountains seemed to go on for miles in each direction. It was almost overwhelming.

Hinata gulped, still panting from the exhausting running pace. "Oh wow. We have to climb up those?" She raised her head, and closed her eyes in concentration. Making a hand sign, she activated her special bloodline trait. "Byakugan." She said, and Naruto and Shikamaru watched as the veins about their comrades eyes bulged, and her eyes became focused. They both knew that at that moment she could see things that they could never see.

"What's up, Hinata?" Naruto said, watching her carefully, with awe at her ability. "Do you see the temple yet?"

"No," She replied, slowly scanning the land, "I can't see past the haze up there...or anything really..."

"Of course she can't." They turned their heads towards Haruki, who was finally starting to catch his breath as well. He held his knees with his hands, and he was obviously tired. The one thing the Konoha ninja couldn't say about Haruki was that he wasn't able to keep his own pace. Even after an exhausting trip down the mountain, he was still able to keep pace with the trained, well rested youths. But Naruto still thought he was impolite, and took the remark as an insult to Hinata's abilities.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"The temple is on the other side of the second mountain. Even if she were aligned with the right side she would have trouble spotting it." He stood up then, waving his arms in circles to stretch out his shoulders. "Well, that's enough of a break." He looked up in the sky. The sun was just starting its descent across the sky. It was just about mid-afternoon, meaning there were only a couple of hours of light left. "We can make it partway up the mountain if we hurry."

He was about to take off when Shikamaru rushed ahead of him and stopped him. "Listen. As team leader, it's my responsibility that we don't all get killed before we even get to the site of the mission. If we start climbing after such an exhausting run, we will be putting ourselves in danger."

Anger flooded Haruki's features. "Now look here..."

"No, _you_ listen." Shikamaru's voice cut him off, determination and discipline evident in his voice. Naruto was impressed as he watched his lazy friend take charge. He hadn't been on a mission led by Shikamaru since they tried to retrieve Sasuke, and though he was aware of Shikamaru's great tactical genius, he was surprised at his leadership skills. "You've already set us at a very swift pace that just works to make us more tired. If we try and climb these mountains as we are, then we may not be able to keep ourselves from falling, or from helping someone else. Especially you. You ran all last night; I'm surprised you're still standing. It would be wise if we stayed at a low altitude tonight, so we can rest properly and start again tomorrow, first light."

Haruki wasn't up for listening. "You don't understand!" He said, passion raising his voice. "Akiko is lost somewhere in those mountains, and in who knows how much danger! That temple is a strange place, and the mountains even stranger. If she got lost somewhere in either, her life is very much in danger, and I just can't wait here!" By the end of his speech, he was screaming and very near tears.

Hinata felt deeply for the man, but Shikamaru seemed unmoved by the man's eloquence, knowing that Haruki's judgement was clouded by concern. He was about to reply to Haruki when Naruto stepped next to him, placing a comforting hand on Haruki's shoulder. "Listen to Shikamaru. He knows what he's doing. If he's leading our mission, you have nothing to fear. We'll find Akiko."

Shikamaru looked surprised at Naruto, but then smiled. "Thanks Naruto. Look, Haruki," He said turning to the man, "if Akiko is lost in the mountains, we still have time to find her. I assume, being able to get up there in the first place, that she can take care of herself. Also, she's only been missing since yesterday, because you made such a quick trip to Konoha. If we rest tonight and set out tomorrow, we can make the temple by tomorrow afternoon, and spend all the rest of the day searching. She'll have only been missing for two days." He paused, and when Haruki was silent continued. "Our chances of finding her, thanks to Hinata and her eyes, are high. Very high."

Haruki seemed placated for the time, and simply nodded numbly to Shikamaru's words. Shikamaru turned to Hinata and Naruto. "Okay, here's the plan. We'll let Haruki lead us to the closest spot on the mountain base to the temple, then set up camp for the night. We rest, and then start the climb tomorrow as soon as there's light enough."

"Got it." Hinata replied.

"Right on, Shikamaru!" Naruto replied excitedly, smiling brightly. "This is how a mission is led." He ran off to join Haruki, who was quietly readying himself to make the trip to the mountain base, leaving Hinata and a perplexed Shikamaru behind.

He turned to her. "Hey, Hinata?" She turned her head to hear Shikamaru, who spoke quietly enough so that Naruto couldn't hear them. "Have you noticed something odd about Naruto on this mission?"

She turned to watch Naruto, helping Haruki get ready while drinking water from a bottle hyperactively, as was his way. She smiled. "Not really, Shikamaru. What do you notice?"

Shikamaru smiled sheepishly. "It's nothing, I guess. But Naruto doesn't seem to me to be the type to take authority very well. He certainly didn't when we last went out on a mission I led, but this time he's respecting my position as team leader, giving support, and he's just..." He stopped, trying to find the right words.

Hinata just shrugged. "He's just grown up since he's returned." Shikamaru watched Hinata as she spoke, watching Naruto. "He's different from the boy who left Konoha three years ago. Since he's returned, and with all that's happened with Akatsuki and Sasuke, he's just matured. I'm sure you can recognize it if you look for it." She smiled complacently.

Shikamaru just raised an eyebrow and smiled. He saw through her facade, and somehow it surprised him that the childhood crush that she had on Naruto had not diminished in his absence.

"Naruto, stop that!" Shikamaru and Hinata turned to see Haruki yelling at Naruto as he picked fluffy white flower pollen from the ground and threw it in Haruki's wind-blown hair, causing him to look like he rolled in a pen of sheep wool. Naruto was nearly doubled over in laughter until Haruki cuffed him in the back of his head, sending him flying in a heap.

Hinata blushed and shook her head. Shikamaru sighed. "Some things never change, I guess."

They took their time making their way across the field, trying to conserve their energy. The sky started to darken even before the sun had hidden behind the forest to the west, as dark storm clouds had started to form and the wind picked up. The bad weather had come from almost nowhere; even Hinata's Byakugan has picked it up with almost no time to prepare. Naruto had rushed off to find water to refill their pouches before the storm struck full force, promising he would catch up quickly. The remaining three had started to climb the first few levels, trying to find shelter. They had just made it up the first layers of stone when the beginning few drops of rain fell from the ground. It quickly developed into a torrential downpour.

Shikamaru raised his arm over his head to keep his eyes clear of the rain, but the gusting wind still drove it into his face. "We need to get out of this storm," He called to Hinata and Haruki, "before we're completely soaked and frozen. Hinata," He roared over the storm, looking towards the kunoichi, "use your Byakugan, and see if you can find any place for us to go."

She nodded, and her eyes focused again. "I'll try." She scanned what seemed to be mountain wall, until she stopped. "There." She pointed upwards and to the right of where they stood. "There's a large cavern in the wall only a few feet over there. It's opposite the wind, so we should stay relatively dry."

"Perfect." He turned and saw, with a wave of relief, Naruto scrabbling his way up to where they were, water pouches slung across his shoulder. "Naruto, come on, we have to get up there and out of this storm."

Naruto jogged to them, his usually spiky hair flattened by the rain. He squinted as the drops blew into his eyes. "Agreed. This storm is only going to get worse. If we try and get too much higher we'll be killed."

Haruki grunted, but never-the-less followed his companions as they quickly yet carefully made their way to the cavern. As the climbed the short distance, they heard a low rumbling from just around where they were climbing. Quickly, the group looked about, trying to determine the sound of the noise. Hinata looked up and to the side and saw pebbles fall to the ground. "Watch out everyone!" She called out. "There are rocks up there that are unstable with the rains."

As she said this, the cliff side they clung to shook, and suddenly Haruki's wet hands lost their grip and he started a deadly fall backwards. Hinata gasped. "Haruki!" She called his name, and both Naruto and Shikamaru looked back startled. With sharpened reflexes and his eyes narrowed determinedly, Naruto made the signs and created a clone of himself. Using the clone to push him, propelling Naruto at an acceleration faster than gravity towards the falling man. His heart pounded in unison with the rain on his body as he reached out, unsure if he would even reach his comrade. He felt the fingers of his left hand clasp around the wrist of Haruki, and with a mighty effort, leaned himself and Haruki towards the cliff again. Naruto saw what he was looking for, and praised his luck as his other hand latched onto a wayward tree root. With a painful jerk and a sickening popping sound, Naruto and Haruki were brought to a stop, and they swung precariously on the root, buffeted by the rain. Naruto gasped as his shoulder seared in pain.

"Naruto!" Hinata cried as she and Shikamaru climbed nimbly to where they were. "Are you okay?"

Naruto grunted, and using his powerful arms lifted Haruki up to the ledge where the others stood. "I will be...when you get me up to the cave."

Hinata and Shikamaru helped Haruki back onto the slope, and then helped Naruto ease himself onto the cliff from the branch. Shikamaru climbed up with Haruki while Hinata stayed back to help Naruto. She watched him with concern as each time he moved his right shoulder, he winced. "Naruto, are you sure you're okay?"

He turned to her, and smiled. "Sure. I'll be fine once we get into a nice warm place. You don't need to worry about me." Even soaking wet, with water dripping down his face and clothes and his hair a flattened mess, he still made her smile. He moved to climb again, and winced once more, making Hinata's smile fade some.

"Okay Naruto. Even if you're all right, when we get somewhere dry I'll still take a look at your shoulder for you, okay?"

Naruto looked down sheepishly, but nodded. "Okay. That sounds good...even though I don't need it, if it will give you peace of mind..."

"It will."

Naruto smiled at her again. "Then I will happily be your patient."

Hinata blushed. They continued their climb in silence.

They made it to the cave without any further setback. As soon as they were inside, Shikamaru and Haruki went about to making a fire for warmth while Hinata set herself to looking at Naruto's injury.

"I'm telling you, Hinata," He grumbled as she took out the first aid kit from her pack, "I'm fine. You don't have to go through all of this trouble for something like this."

She paused in her work to look over at him as sternly as she could. "Perhaps. But as you said, I'm doing this for my own peace of mind as well. I don't want your injury to affect the mission, or worsen so that your arm becomes useless."

Naruto sighed in resignation. "You're persistent, you know that?"

Hinata smiled, but stopped in her tracks as she saw Naruto start to take off his wet jacket and shirt. She could feel the unbidden warmth invade her cheeks and ears, but tried to quell it as she realized that she couldn't very well look at his shoulder unless he showed it to her, without clothing. She had overlooked that fact when she promised to tend to his injury. As he carefully hauled the black t-shirt he wore over his head, nursing his shoulder as he did so, Hinata gulped. People who made fun of Naruto's stature before could not do so anymore. His body was lean and fit, sculpted from hours of intense training. The lines of his muscles were well defined, and a testament to his strength. She closed her eyes and willed herself to look away, towards his shoulder. When she did, she found her eyes drawn towards the curve of his collarbone and strong neck and jaw.

"How does it look?" Hinata drew her eyes to Naruto's face, which was watching her curiously.

"Huh?" She squeaked.

"I didn't think it was that bad..." He muttered.

"_Oh right, his shoulder..."_

She looked to his right side, and saw that it actually did look worse than he had led her to believe it was. His shoulder was swollen and had turned a sickly purplish-black. She walked over and tenderly flexed his shoulder, summoning all of her will to focus, to determine if his shoulder was dislocated, instead of watching the hypnotizing ripple of the muscles in his shoulder and back. Satisfied that it wasn't dislocated, she looked into his eyes. "It looks to have been just badly bruised." She said, grabbing her kit and forcing her eyes to stick to his shoulder like glue. "I'll bandage it, but I think you'll be able to continue by tomorrow. Especially since you seem to heal so quickly." She decided against mentioning why he did so; the fact that the nine tailed fox resided within him was not something she liked to discuss. She hated the beast for the pain it had caused Naruto.

Naruto beamed at her. "Thanks Hinata! You're really good at this." She smiled at his comment and started to set his shoulder. Timidly, she wrapped the bandages about his chest and neck, back and forth, not daring to let her fingertips linger on his skin. As she did so, he started to speak again. "You are really good at this first aid thing, you know. It makes me wonder...why didn't you become a medical ninja like Sakura and Ino?"

The question caught her by surprise. "Oh...well...I never really thought about it." She started. She continued to wrap his shoulder. "I guess it was because I had already found out what purpose I had as a ninja."

Naruto found that remark interesting. He had a vague feeling he knew what she believed her reason to be, and at the same time, he didn't know for sure. "And what do you believe that purpose to be?" He asked quietly.

She stopped this time, and Naruto watched her as she carefully chose her words. "My purpose as a ninja," she began slowly, "is to defend my comrades, and help fight with my talents in tai-jutsu, and with my skill in tracking with my Byakugan. I don't want to stand back and watch as my friends get hurt. I want to support my friends. That is why I want to be a fighter, so that I can prove my worth, and defend my friends from getting hurt in the first place."

Naruto nodded, seemingly impressed with her answer. Hinata finished wrapping his shoulder, and proceeded to create a sling for his arm to hang in. While she did this, all was silent in the cave except the crackle and snap of grasses and wood collected for the fire that was now burning beside them, and the muted movements as Shikamaru and Haruki readied their sleeping mats. The heat extended its warmth to the four people in the area, making them feel dryer and more content already.

When Hinata finished the sling, Naruto spoke again. "That's a really good reason for not being a medical ninja, by the way." He said, testing his arm in the sling. Satisfied, he stood up to walk towards Shikamaru. "You do just fine not being one anyway. Thanks, Hinata."

She blushed at the compliment, and nodded. "No problem, Naruto."

He walked away, leaving Hinata kneeling on the hard rock floor, thinking over what Naruto had said while she packed up her supplies. While she did so, Haruki walked up beside her, and stared at her for a long time again. Hinata returned the stare until he looked away. His constant looks were starting to frighten her, and she wondered why he was giving them to her. It chilled her when she thought about it, but then she chided herself for her foolishness.

"Okay." Shikamaru called them to attention. He held out bowls of food for them all. "Eat up. This is the best I could do under the conditions. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. If we can make it to the temple by tomorrow, Haruki says there are food stores there we can have while searching, so until then, make do." He watched his team, and their eyes shifted towards their packs. He understood what they were wondering. "I saw this on the way, and thought it would be best to conserve our food supplies, since the mountains are as treacherous as they are. If we spend another night further up, we'll need that food. It won't go to waste, that's for sure"

Agreeing with Shikamaru's thoughts, they all sat around the fire, eating the mix of plant and berries that had been given them. The food wasn't altogether bad, but the berries were sour, and the leaves had little taste at all. There were also some nuts from their stores to give them energy. It was a bland meal, but it was better than nothing. The four of them were just content to be in the warmth.

When they had finished, they set up places to sleep. Naruto had already turned in, his reasons being that the more rest he got, the more healing his shoulder could do, and his soft snoring could be heard amid the snap of embers in the dying fire. In the remaining light, Hinata could see that Haruki was casting furtive glances at her. She had finally had enough.

"Haruki." She said his name, drawing his attention. "I would like to know why you keep staring at me."

Haruki looked taken aback by the claim, but Shikamaru overheard the conversation and, sitting down next to Hinata, remarked, "I've also seen you staring at her. Is there any particular reason?"

Haruki narrowed his eyes, but they softened and he sat down. "I did not mean to offend you. Your eyes, and your face...they remind me of Akiko. You are remarkably similar."

Hinata's eyes widened. "Really? I find that surprising," she said, "considering my eyes are something of a rarity, even in the Hidden Leaf Village. It's a kekkei genkei, a bloodline limit. My abilities as a tracker are a direct result of my eyes and their abilities."

Haruki nodded. "Their uniqueness is why I find them fascinating. I wonder if you and Akiko are not somehow related, further back in history. You see, she is from somewhere in the Land of Fire, not far from this very mountain. I come from a small farming village located on the border of the Land of Lightning. I met her, a couple of years ago, when I was travelling to find work that allowed me to be adventurous and always busy. She was looking for someone to be her partner in locating a long lost temple on the dangerous Starless Mountains. Danger was all I needed to hear for me to be aboard for the trip. And plus, I was stricken by her beauty when I first met her."

Hinata's jaw dropped a little in understanding. Shikamaru said, tentatively, "What is the relationship you have with Akiko? You seemed very concerned for her...more than just coworkers. You seem driven by more than a work obligation. Are you romantically involved?"

Haruki folded his arms, glancing between the two ninja. "We are married." Hinata's and Shikamaru's eyes widened hearing this. "I am very worried for her. I know she is a capable woman, she and I are ninja, but the mountains..."

"What?" Shikamaru said stridently, causing Naruto to sit up and look about. "You mean to tell me that you and Akiko are shinobi?" He stood up now, looking down at Haruki with an annoyed kind of anger. "What are you doing, lying to us this whole time? I thought you were an archaeologist?"

"Haruki's a ninja?" Naruto mumbled, his heavy eyes growing more alert as he listened to the conversation. He turned to the man. "Why didn't you tell us?" He was too tired to be mad.

Haruki shrugged. "You didn't ask. And besides," he said, forcibly trying to keep his tone low, "we're not trained. I myself only have skills in taijutsu, and am a capable swordsman. Akiko has fairly skilled chakra control and some knowledge in natural healing and medical ninjutsu, a result of family knowledge, but none of that matters in the Temple of the Cosmos. There, we are only archaeologists."

"_Temple of the Cosmos?"_ Hinata repeated the name in her mind while Haruki continued to speak. "That place...it is filled with history, yet so far has no known origin. That is why Akiko was so adamant that we study it, despite the dangers involved in reaching the place. She had heard many rumours about the place, that it was somehow connected to an old fairy tale that her mother used to tell her.

"Do you know the story?" Hinata asked.

"No, I do not," Haruki replied, "but then again she had forgotten most of the legend herself. She did mention something about the sun, though..."

"_The sun? It couldn't be...?" _Hinata thought to herself. Shikamaru cut in. "Okay, so what do you know about this Temple of the Cosmos? Obviously it isn't an ordinary worshipping temple."

"It's nothing like that," Haruki said, "nothing like that at all. The temple's main hall is carved with pictures, and there are hallways, all leading to rooms with more carvings but nothing else. We had only begun to really explore the temple when one day, as I was sketching some carvings, I heard a clatter in one particularly run down hallway, the one where Akiko was working. I followed the noise, and when I got there she was nowhere to be found." He paused. "I need to find her."

Naruto yawned, nestling back into his blankets. "We will. But we won't do anything if we're tired." As if to reinforce his statement, he was back to softly snoring almost before he hit the pillow.

Shikamaru glowered at Haruki, though not as strongly as before. "I still don't like that you lied to us. Tomorrow we'll reach the temple, and start our search for Akiko. Rest assured, we'll successfully complete our mission, and safely return Akiko to you." With a strong finality, he turned and headed towards his own blankets. Hinata also started to unfold her blankets, and with a tired sigh, Haruki followed suit.

Hinata was just settling in when she spoke to Haruki. "Shikamaru likes to know all the facts in a mission. It helps him plan accordingly and raises our chances of success. He may be cross now, but by tomorrow he will have forgiven and forgotten. Do not be angry with him for his actions."

Haruki huffed. "How can I be? It's only because of him and Naruto I'm still alive. I want to thank him for not forcing us up in this weather. Even climbing up here we were almost killed. I acted rashly out of concern for Akiko. I should be apologizing."

"I understand," Hinata replied, looking at Naruto lie on his back, his eyes closed peacefully, and his bandaged arm resting over his stomach, "I understand very well how you're feeling. There is no need to apologize. Tomorrow, we shall do our very best to find Akiko. I am confident in our skill." When that didn't seem to ease his worry, she added, "I promise to search until I find her. I will not leave."

Haruki nodded in thanks, taking one last long look at her eyes. He saw Akiko in them, and it brought a fond memory and a smile to his face. "Thank you, Hinata. Good night."

"Good night." She said, turning her back to him as she brought her blanket to her cheek to ward off the chill of the night. She looked at Naruto laying next to her, peaceful in sleep, snoring contentedly. She knew all too well what emotions Haruki was going through. The thought of Naruto in danger made her ache painfully. She resolved to make sure that, no matter what happened, she would do all she could to make sure Haruki and Akiko were reunited. And with that thought, she closed her eyes in sleep.

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><p><strong>Okay, so I think the best day for me to update for everyone is probably Friday afternoons. So expect an update then. I am having a lot of fun writing, which bodes well for scheduling. I hope everyone is having a good time with this story, and I shall get back to you Friday :) Take care everyone!<strong>

**Oh! And by and by, if anyone cares to ask me a question, if something is bothering them about the story, or you just want to chat, feel free to ask! Criticisms welcome ;)**


	3. The Temple of the Cosmos

**A new chapter everyone, yay! I thank everyone who alerted/reviews the story so far. It makes me very happy to hear from people who are enjoying the story, and I also thank the input they give! I am really enjoying writing this one, so I hope my pace of writing continues. It may get a little hectic in one week, when I move in to my new place, so please be patient! I will try and be as on schedule as possible. I'll probably post early to be honest. But that's the future. For now, here's a new chapter.**

**I'll make it a point to say that the action gets heavy in the next chapter, and only rises from there. **

**A/N: Refer to chapter 1. **

**Songs of inspiration:**** Crystal by _Exem_**

**Maybe a little Bluementhal by _Ulrich Schnauss__ (depends on the person)_**

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><p><strong>Chapter Three: The Temple of the Cosmos<strong>

"Why is it so darn cold?" Naruto said as he rubbed his hands against his arms, trying to warm himself up. As he spoke, his warm breaths condensed and formed tiny puffs of cloud. A gust blew down the path that he, Hinata, Shikamaru and Haruki were walking along, making the group shiver collectively. Aside from the wind, the only other sound was the crunching of their feet on the frosty path. Naruto gathered his cloak about him to ward off the chill. "I mean, the storm is over, and the sun is out. There's hardly a c-cloud in the sky in some places, but it's still..." He slipped on a patch of frost, a puddle of rainwater frozen overnight. He hit the ground on his back, causing the group to flinch. "...Freezing!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at Naruto as Hinata stopped to ask if he was okay. "You dummy, don't you know that as you climb further upwards, the air gets colder?" He stopped and looked upwards. "I wouldn't be surprised if there was snow where we're going."

"Really?" Naruto said, sitting up and rubbing his shoulder, which had just about healed overnight.

"What's more," Said Haruki, who was ahead of the three Konoha ninja, leading the way, "is that the path gets even more treacherous as we climb higher."

Naruto groaned. "We've been climbing for hours. We left at daybreak. It must be past noon by now."

"We've about an hour's hard trek left." Haruki said, starting to walk again. "Watch your step. It's a long way down, and the path is slippery because of all that frozen rainwater."

Naruto righted himself once more, and set off with Hinata and Shikamaru behind him. The path they had been travelling on was hardly a path at all. A faint trail worn into the mountainside, it angled upwards on a high slope, making their legs burn with the effort. The rock beneath them was uneven, and each crevice formed was filled with a frozen sheet of ice, making each step a slippery trap. The wind had not died out very much overnight, and brought with each gust a penetrating chill that seemed to go through any it made contact with. Conversation was sparse; no one wanted to let the cold air enter their mouths and cool down their already shivering bodies.

Hinata walked a little closer to the edge and peered down over the side of the cliff. Below her was a large expanse of varying shades of gray, the rocks of the mountain they had long since traversed. Off in the distance were varying shades of green, lighter signifying grasslands while the darker green was the leaves and needles of various trees. It seemed to span forever, off into the horizon. Large plots of farmland were visible, as were large lakes that seemed to stand still. "We're pretty high up now." She remarked quietly, returning to the group.

Shikamaru looked to where she had been staring. "I'd say we're about one thousand five hundred meters in the air right now."

"Really?" Naruto said, looking up. "That's high, right?"

Shikamaru shook his head in disbelief. "Yeah Naruto. That's pretty high."

"Though the mountains stretch upwards for much longer than that." Haruki commented. "While no one has climbed to the top of this particular mountain range, it is rumoured that some peaks stretch as high as ten thousand meters."

"Oh wow," Shikamaru commented, "that's huge. I don't think even a ninja could climb that high."

"What makes you say that? I bet I could climb it," said Naruto boastfully, setting his face in a determined grin, "easy as snapping my fingers."

"You'd never make it. The air is too thin up that high, and it's too cold to go that far. You'd freeze or suffocate, whichever got you first."

Naruto frowned, and set his gaze up ahead, and upwards. "You know, it almost looks like we could touch the clouds soon."

"We may soon do that," Haruki said, "As we pass two thousand meters, we'll pass the lower level clouds."

Hinata smiled thoughtfully. "I think that it might be pretty amazing, to live above the clouds," she laughed, "like living on cotton."

Haruki smiled. "Akiko liked the clouds. They look amazing from the temple. Let us hurry there, so we can at least get out of the cold."

They travelled for another hour in general silence. As they made their way higher, they finally reached the point where they met the lower lying clouds. They walked into clouds, only to find they were as plain air. Hinata found it strangely enchanting how she could walk into the puffy, cottony-looking clouds and not actually feel anything but a cool, misty sensation on her face. They avoided the clouds when they could, however, as they just succeeded in making the group colder. By the end of the hour they had lost sight of the green fields and forests below them, as well as the mountain roots. Below them was a layer of cloud. The only way they could see was in front of them, and that was only a few feet.

Haruki looked back at them. "Just a few more twists in the path and we'll be there, but watch out. The path is treacherous here. It is worn and not well kept this far up."

The group nodded, and slowed their pace slightly to ensure none of them took the fast way down the mountain. Another half hour passed before the group suddenly hit a plateau. The area about them was foggy and clouded over, and the cold pressed even harder on them, chilling them to the bone. There were more paths branching off to the right and left, traversing the mountainsides even further. However, Haruki made no move to either direction. Instead, he gestured with his arms outstretched, beholding what was in front of him. "We're here. Welcome to the Temple of the Cosmos"

"Really?" Naruto ran next to Haruki, and gasped when he saw what was in front of him. It was unlike anything he had ever seen. Stretching out along the plateau, and seeming to burrow into the mountain itself, was a large stone sanctuary. Its blocks were grey blue in colour and covered in frost, giving the place a royal, yet colder aura. The temple was symmetrical, with crumbling towers on both ends of the building, and a large black hole on its front. The entrance. Upon seeing it, Naruto narrowed his eyes at Haruki unhappily. "How're we _ever _going to stay warm in a place like that? It's completely open to the mountain, there's not even a door for crying out loud!"

"Well," Haruki said, starting to walk towards the temple as Hinata and Shikamaru joined them, looking upon the once splendid temple, "it's not that much warmer...we usually build a fire just outside, and if we need to sleep and it is too cold, we stay a little further in the temple, where it's a few degrees warmer."

Naruto's jaw dropped. "Only a _few _degrees!"

Shikamaru walked by him and cuffed him lightly on the back of his head. "Quit complaining. You won't freeze. If Haruki and a girl can stay up here, so can we."

Naruto stuck his lip out in a pout. "I can stay here, and I'll be fine, but I don't have to like it." Hinata looked at him pouting, and gave an amused smile, causing him to sheepishly scratch the back of his neck and follow after her and the two men.

The ground they walked over was a slick sheet of icy rock. The group tread carefully, trying to avoid slipping and falling. Shikamaru looked to Haruki. "This is odd." Haruki turned to him. "Why is it that the path had only some ice patches, yet the plateau is covered?"

"No slope," Haruki replied quickly, catching his self as he skidded on ice, "the snow that rarely falls here freezes and forms ice. This plateau is probably the slipperiest place on this mountain."

"Maybe," Shikamaru agreed, "but it seems odd that up so high, above the clouds, there is even snow. It should all be ice pellets falling so high. Or for that matter," He went on, "there should be no precipitation at all. We're not on the side of the mountain with a body of water. There should be a rain shadow here."

Haruki shrugged. "Those questions are half the reason why Akiko and I are here studying. You know, you would make a great scientist."

Shikamaru shrugged coolly. "So I've been told. But it would be too much of a drag. I would be stuck thinking all day, with no time for Shogi or relaxing. Plus, I'm more of a strategist, not a theorist. That's not for me."

"Well, perhaps one day. You never know." Haruki said. They had reached the entrance. He gestured for them to go ahead, and they obliged, entering the dark entranceway. Immediately through the opening, Hinata and Naruto shuddered.

"Ugh." Groaned Naruto disdainfully, "I think it's colder in here than it is out there."

"It is q-quite cold." Hinata stuttered, her teeth chattering. "I think we sh-should keep moving." She walked further in, casting her gaze upon the large foyer. The room was plain, with nothing really worth noting in the room. The blocks making up the walls and floor were iridescent with frost, and there were paths to her left, right and directly in front of her that led to somewhere further into the temple. Despite the barren nature of the room, it seemed to impose an importance and reverence. "Where were you when you heard Akiko, Haruki?" Hinata called out. She was met with a hollow echo which made her shiver for a completely different reason.

Haruki and Shikamaru had followed Naruto's and Hinata's path inside, and he was now walking to the center of the room. "I was just here. I was looking at some mysterious carvings in the floor when I heard her screams coming from the halls in that direction." He pointed to the path to the left from the doorway.

"Carvings?" Hinata questioned, looking down. Shikamaru also looked down. Below their feet were grooves marked into the stone, almost made invisible by the frost. Letting her eyes follow the path the lines made, she quickly made a trace in her mind, trying to make a shape. She needn't bother.

"It's a sun." Hinata turned, shocked, towards Shikamaru, who was holding his chin in thought. "I wonder what its purpose is in being here. With the cloud cover as dense as it is, I don't even know if the sun ever reaches this temple that often. Or any celestial body... guess that's where the mountain name comes from." He shrugged. "Ah well."

"_A sun?" _Something clicked in her head. Her mind kept being drawn to an idea, but just as quickly she banished the though as being silly. There was no way that what was happening here could have any connection to _that_.

"So what are we waiting for?" She jumped and turned towards Naruto as his loud voice jumped from wall to wall, seeming to come from all directions. "We should start looking for Akiko as soon as possible, so we can get some heat going. Plus, we want to find her before something horrible happens to her."

"Hold on." Shikamaru said, shooting Naruto an exasperated look. "We need a plan first or we'll end up just as lost as Akiko, or worse. So take a seat, we need to start thinking."

Naruto just looked down at the frosted ground, thinking of a time he once stuck his tongue on a frosty ice pop and not wanting a repeat experience with any other body part. "No thanks. I think I'll stand."

Shikamaru shrugged and lowered himself to the ground, along with Haruki. Hinata came to the group and stood shyly next to Naruto. "Okay. Haruki," Shikamaru started, "you are the one with the most knowledge of this place. You and Akiko have been around this place before. Is there anything strange about the temple we should know about?"

"Where to begin?" Haruki said with a humourless smile. "This temple, it's a complete enigma. Akiko and I have been investigating this place for nearly half a year now, but there is still so little we know, and so much more to discover." He paused. "What little we do know is that this temple has not been used in many years, perhaps hundreds, and its purpose is still unknown. That sun carving is the only clue we have. It is a repeated theme almost everywhere."

Shikamaru nodded. "How about the layout of the temple? Is there anything strange about it?"

Haruki sighed and looked down. "I am so sorry."

The three ninja looked at Haruki curiously. "Sorry for what?" Shikamaru asked.

"I want to help you, but we work methodically. I've seen very little of the back of the temple. We've been trying to keep the area pristine, so I have rarely even been in the area where Akiko was last. I can tell you nothing more about this place."

"Then what the heck are we supposed to do?" Naruto frowned as he spoke. "You mean to tell me that you've been in this ice cube for half a year and haven't even seen the place yet? That's just stupid."

"Naruto." Shikamaru's tone ceased any further words from Naruto. He sighed and closed his eyes. "What a drag. We're basically running blind. Akiko could very well have left the room she was working in." He sat down, crossed his legs, and brought his hands together.

Haruki watched Shikamaru bemusedly. "What's he doing?"

"Oh, that's just what Shikamaru does when he's thinking of a plan." Naruto answered. "We'll just have to wait until he snaps out of it..."

"We don't have time to wait indefinitely!" Haruki burst out, scowling at the group.

"Haruki," Hinata began quietly, "we also don't have time to run blindly at this. If Akiko can vanish without a trace, then we can as well. We must be careful. Shikamaru's plan will take everything we know and make sure we can effectively look for Akiko in a way so that nothing can happen to us. You must trust us."

Haruki looked away. "But Akiko..."

"Look," Naruto added, "we know you're worried, but if you knew Shikamaru you'd have no reason to worry! He's a genius, he'll come up with an amazing plan, you'll see."

Haruki breathed deep, and nodded. "Okay. I'll wait."

They waited for nearly ten minutes before Shikamaru's eyes opened, and he spoke. The others were sitting nearby, and were startled to hear his voice in the temple, silent all but for the whistle of the wind in the cracks of the doorway. "Okay, so here's what I've got so far." He began, and the rest moved closer to hear him. "We have a general direction of where Akiko went missing, but little knowledge as to where she could have gone. We also know that she was alone when she disappeared. I've come to this conclusion: we can't search alone, and we can't search blindly.

"I know it's a drag, but we'll also have to move slowly and thoroughly. The good news is that with Hinata's eyes, she'll be able to see if there is anything suspicious pretty quickly. That will cut our search time greatly." He turned to Haruki. "Even though you say you know little about this place, it's obvious you know more than anyone else here. You'll have to take us to where Akiko was last." He stood, and the rest followed suit. He addressed the group, "Be careful and stay with a partner. We need to find Akiko as soon as possible. Never forget that this is your priority. That means that you need to keep yourselves safe and out of trouble."

"Right." Naruto and Hinata replied at once, and Haruki nodded.

"Alright then." Shikamaru turned to Haruki. "Lead the way."

From the front entrance, the group headed to the hallway to the left. The hallway was decorated as little as the main room, with the grey-blue stones making up the whole of the passage. However, lining the top and bottom of the walls was a small border of alternating sizes of stars, interspersed with the same sun pattern as the one in the hall. In places the roof showed small holes where small rays of light penetrated the gloom of the hallways enough to allow sight without the aid of torches and to uncover the floating dust and ice flakes collected over ages. Hallways opened to each side of them at regular intervals, keeping with the symmetry they observed on the temples outside. Each time they came to a turn, they kept to the left.

Shikamaru lit an oil lamp when the light disappeared entirely from above them. He paused, looking upwards and then down. "It's not nighttime yet... are we sloping downwards?"

Haruki nodded. "Technically we're travelling further down in the mountain we just climbed, in a spiral pattern. We were just starting to map out the direction of the hallways in relation to the mountain. In reality we're headed straight from where we entered the temple."

"It's like a maze down here." Hinata commented. "How much of the temple have you and Akiko mapped?"

"Very little, I'm afraid." Haruki said as he turned left again. "This is the first place we've gone, and this is all we've mapped to this point. Here." He stopped at a dead end and turned to the opening to the left. Shadows erupted from the objects in the room. "This is where Akiko was working. This room, as you can see, is different than the others."

Hinata walked in first. Scanning the room, she noted why it was abnormal. "Oh, this room is more furnished than the others." Along the walls there were ornamental stars etched into the blue stone. In the far left and right corners there were old wooden rocking chairs. The wood seemed old, yet sturdy, not yet completely rotted away, probably due to the fact that the wood was probably frozen. In the far right corner was what looked like a fireplace that hadn't been lit in what may have been a century or more. The columns that led from the mantle had little suns carved in them. All that remained in the hearth was frozen, charred remains. A beautiful carving of a sun was in the floor, just like in the upper entrance.

"And that must be Akiko's equipment." Over to the right side, near the fireplace, was a scattering of a large leather bag including assorted powders and brushes, hammers, chisels, a sketchbook and pencil, and a magnifying glass.

Haruki nodded. "Yes, those are Akiko's tools. They were spread like this when I got here. She would never scatter her things like that; they are too important to her. That is why I was immediately worried for her. An hour after searching for her around this area, I set out for your village for help."

Shikamaru and Naruto came further into the room to see for themselves. Shikamaru sighed. "What a drag. I guess this is where we start."

Everyone looked in Shikamaru's direction, waiting for his plan. All were ready to spring into action. Shikamaru eyed everyone in the small circle, making sure all were paying attention. Finally he spoke. "Okay. We really can't afford to waste any more time, so we'll work in teams, in shifts. I'll work with Haruki, Naruto with Hinata. What we'll do is, for now, have one group search this room, and another team search the room across from here. In a half hour we'll switch rooms, so that each of us has equal opportunity to search each room, and apply each of our intelligences to decrease our chances of missing something. After an hour, we'll move backwards along the main hallway to the last set of rooms, and follow suit. That's the best plan I've got. Hinata, Naruto, head out to the next room. We'll search this room first. Meet in the hallway in a half hour. Let's move."

"Right." Everyone replied in unison. Shikamaru and Haruki gathered to discuss their own search plans of the room while Hinata and Naruto headed out into the next room. Upon leaving the light of Shikamaru's torch, darkness once again shrouded them as they entered the new room. Hinata closed her eyes, and upon opening them again enabled her Byakugan, allowing her to sense enough of her surroundings to light her own torch. The light cast shadows across the room, which was as barren as the entrance to the temple.

Naruto sighed, "Aww, we got the boring room. There's nothing in here!"

"We should look closely at the room anyways, just in case." Hinata said.

Naruto groaned and shrugged. "You're right, I suppose. Can't hurt. We have half an hour to kill anyways. May as well search this place top to bottom for something to do. But I have a feeling that this room is less important than the other one we were in."

"You too?" Hinata asked.

"Well, yeah," Naruto said, glancing at Hinata curiously as he started searching the floor on his hands and knees, "but only because it has chairs and stuff, and it has all of Akiko's things in it. I can't see her leaving it, if it was all so important to her."

"True, but... it's nothing." Hinata trailed off, and started to search one corner of the room, casting her special gaze across floors and walls, sweeping every inch with her Byakugan, bending every so often to investigate the tiles closer.

"What? What were you going to say?" Naruto asked, still searching the ground.

"No-nothing Naruto. It's just silly. I would really prefer no-not saying..." Hinata trailed off when she felt Naruto's gaze hit her.

"Hinata, c'mon, just spit it out. You're obviously thinking something." Hinata remained silent, and Naruto let out a sigh. Hinata was always so quiet and shy. He knew she was smart, even back in the days of the Chuunin exams. But she had so little darn confidence in her own abilities. He thought she had gotten better.

"Umm, well... looking at all the suns and stuff, I was reminded... of my mom."

Naruto stood up, and watched her carefully. Hinata shied away, but continued speaking. "It was while my mom was with child, my sister Hanabi. I was barely three. I have few memories of way back then, but this always stayed with me for some reason. It was a fable she always told me because I was so timid, a story of a great woman..."

Naruto leaned against a wall, and suddenly a rumble emanated from underneath where his elbow connected with the blue stone, and dust started to fall around them. A heart-pounding snap sounded, and starting at Naruto's elbow, a crack appeared in the wall and travelled upwards, causing Hinata and Naruto to look upwards in time to see a large crevice open up in the ceiling above them. "Hinata, watch it!" Naruto called as he grabbed her tiny form and brought the both of them to the ground in a heap, Naruto covering as much of her as possible. Hinata clenched her eyes closed, and waited until the noise stopped and the ceiling stopped raining down. It never did. The noise stopped moments after, and when Hinata finally felt the rain of dust stop, she opened her eyes. Naruto hovered above her, concern evident in his eyes. His eyebrows were furrowed as he looked down at her. "Are you okay?"

"Umm... Yes." Hinata replied, trying to ignore the situation and focus on his question and on what could have just happened. She wriggled her body to make sure nothing was injured, but she felt fine. "I'm not injured. Naruto, are you okay?"

"Yeah, nothing came down, but it could have. We're lucky... uhh..." He hesitated for a moment while he looked curiously at her. His breath hitched, and then he spoke. "You know, you smell really good. Like cinnamon." Suddenly his face seemed to Hinata to have turned a shade of red, but she couldn't be sure in the dust and darkness. He shook his head, and then he lifted himself off of Hinata, and helped her up. They both looked up. The crack in the tile above them was evident, but it seemed to have stabilized for the moment. "This place is falling apart..." Naruto muttered.

"Hinata! Naruto!" Shikamaru and Haruki ran in, fright etched into their faces and stances. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Naruto and Hinata looked at the two men and quickly drew their hands back from where they held the others' from being helped up. "We're fine Shikamaru, but this place is old as heck!" Naruto said. "The ceiling nearly came down on us!"

Shikamaru sighed in relief. "Well, no one was hurt, which is great. But I think we need to re-evaluate what we need to do from here on out. Come on, let's go back to the entrance and come up with a full day plan for tomorrow. Well make a fire and have a supper as well."

"A fire?" Naruto said excitedly at the prospect of heat, "Let's go!"

They wound their way through the tunnels, and when they had come back to the main entryway, they went about setting up a camp of sorts, with a very small fire in the corner of the entrance, far enough out as to not damage the architecture but in out of the wind. Once they were all settled in front of the fire, they set about making a plan for the next day.

"Alright, so today didn't go as well as I'd hoped." Shikamaru began. "The infrastructure of the building the further it goes down seems the least stable. The search in the furnished room also yielded nothing yet. Tomorrow we have to start there again and we'll work hour by hour on each room, the same way as we were today."

Naruto and Hinata nodded in agreement, but Haruki looked troubled. "You know, it is possible she got lost in a further tunnel. She may have gotten disoriented and strayed from the path, gotten lost, or something else..." Shikamaru continued, but Haruki silenced him with a fist to a pan. The ensuing clang startled the group.

"That may not give us enough time!" He shouted frustrated. "We should look as long as it takes, and stop with this pointless planning! My wife is missing, and each minute we waste is a minute less she may have!" He stopped then, panting and gritting his teeth.

"Oh, Haruki..." Hinata started, but Haruki cut her off.

"No. I'm sorry, Hinata, I shouldn't act like that. We're trying our best, and we can't do more than that, but," he took a long shaky breath in, "I'm just starting to believe that this may be an impossible task, if we don't work harder. I would like to search all night..."

"That would be detrimental to the mission." Shikamaru said. "We need rest or we'll be at more risk of getting lost, or not being able to correctly use our senses and instincts, which we need. It's easy for the darkness and tight quarters of those places to twist your senses, so we have to be on high alert. We need rest to be of use. So I think we should turn in now and get a very early start, and search all tomorrow." Shikamaru went to grab his bag, still speaking. "Pack a lunch in your bags, and bring it with you, and plenty of water. You can also bring anything else, like ribbon or cloth, to help you keep on what you've searched."

"All right." Hinata and Naruto said together.

After the plans were set, they ate a supper of dried meats, bread and cheese packed from the Hidden Leaf Village, and set up their sleeping bags in the foyer, on the edge of the wall nearest the tunnels. The air on the mountain plateau was colder in night, but the air in the hallways was now warmer by comparison, heated by some unknown source. The comparative warmth felt nice when a breeze swept up and warm air hit their skin. Shikamaru explained it away as the air in the corridors being isolated and underground, and kept warmer that way, but Naruto didn't care either way, and was soon settled down in his sleeping bag closest to the hallway directly across from the entrance. Shikamaru and Haruki slept on either side of him, and Hinata slept at next to Haruki. Not long after the last traces of evening red left the lining of the clouds and darkness had enveloped the sky, all were asleep.

A few hours before sunrise, Hinata found himself stirring. She turned on her side, thinking the cold floor was making her restless, but as she found herself becoming more awake, she heard a strange noise. Turning to her right, she could see in the vague light of the shafts of moonlight that evaded the cloud cover the shadow in front of her shaking. She narrowed her eyes, and saw the shape as Haruki. She stared for a while, not understanding why Haruki was shaking in such a way, though attributing it to shivering from the cold.

"Oh, Akiko..."

Haruki sniffed loudly, and with an ache in her chest she finally realized that Haruki was crying. Crying over the situation of losing his wife and his love. Lost in the moment, Haruki did not even care that he was in the company of others. She felt sorry for Haruki, and felt guilty for not already finding Akiko. After some minutes had passed the sobbing died down; Haruki had cried himself to sleep. Still lying down in the dark, Hinata thought about what she could do to help.

"_We already have the plan,"_ She thought to herself, _"I guess it wouldn't hurt if I started a few minutes early. I'll be all right with my Byakugan. I might be back with Akiko before they even know I left..."_

And silently, Hinata rose from his sleeping bag, gathered her supplies, and headed into the leftside hallways once more, unaware that in the line of people, someone else sensed a disturbance, and was stirring as well.

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><p><strong>I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! The next one will be put up probably on Thursday, so expect an update then. Until then, take care!<strong>


	4. Hidden Clue: Going Blind in the Tunnels

**Okay, don't have much to say. I am moving in tomorrow, and since I will be indefinitely without internet, I'm posting a day early. Yay!**

**Recently I've seen some stuff that kind of irks me in regards to what types of stories get a lot of attention. Not that the story ideas get me, but it's just that I can't read stuff that looks like it was edited by a two year old. And no one comments on it. Sigh... that bothers me. But at the end of the day I can't really do anything about it. But I hope you guys appreciate that I try and keep everything pretty well edited for a more enjoyable read. I also am trying my hardest to have a good plot. I have to say; my writing gets better next chapter ;) Anyways, here it is!**

**Disclaimer: See chapter one. **

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><p><strong>Chapter Four: The Hidden Clue: Going Blind in the Tunnels<strong>

Hinata struck out down the same path that Haruki had shown them earlier that day. She followed it slowly and quietly at first, not wanting to trigger the scissor sharp senses of the ninja she left behind. When she had assured herself that she would not be heard, she hastened her pace to the room she and Naruto did not have a chance to look at earlier.

When she walked in, she finally let her eyes relax as she lit a candle. The shadows melted from each object in the room in liquid fashion as the flame flickered with each little gasp of air that swept past it. Her heart pounded in her chest, whether because she knew she was going against orders, or perhaps from witnessing Haruki's pain she knew not. What she did know was that her intuition told her that in this one, furnished room, she would find the clue that would find Akiko.

"_Okay," _She spoke under her breath. She invoked her Byakugan, and began her quiet, careful search of the room, starting with the rocking chair in the far left corner. She inspected it carefully, brushing every surface to make sure that she wouldn't miss anything The wood was cold and smooth under her fingertips, not a splinter out of place despite the obvious age of the wood. When she was assured that there was nothing amiss with the chairs, she turned her attentions to the fireplace. She ran her hands along the cool stone of the mantle, feeling every groove that time had carved into it. Even along the top of the mantle there was the same sun theme. She thought it quite ironic that there were so many signs of the sun in such a cold and cloudy place. And yet, their presence nagged at her. She knew that the sun was important to unravelling the mystery of the temple. But that was not her mission.

Hinata was about to stoop to investigate the inside of the fireplace when a sound echoed through the halls outside the room. She immediately blew out her light and froze in place in the dark.

"_What was that?" _Hinata thought to herself. She heard the sound again and she identified it as the sound of a scuffing shoe on the floor. "_It can't be them, they shouldn't be awake yet. It hasn't been that long. I'm sure that they're still sleeping, or just getting up. No one would have come after me unless they heard me, and I was careful to be quiet. If it's even them at all..."_

She stood and put herself into a defensive stance, ready to defend herself if something menacing was heading her way. "Hello?" She called out into the dark, hoping to gain the attention of whoever was coming, and if it was unfriendly, to scare it off. However, she quickly found out who it was.

"Hinata? Where _are _you?" She heard the footsteps quicken towards her voice. She smiled. She recognized that voice. It was Naruto. He had come after her...or just had the same idea as she did. Whatever the reason, she was surprised he had managed to find her in the dark. He carried no light with him.

Hinata extended her arm, and called his name. Naruto followed her voice until his body came into contact with her hand. "There you are." He said, once he felt her hand press into his abdomen. Hinata relit her candle, illuminating his slightly irritated face. Hinata immediately felt uneasy.

"Hinata, what were you thinking?" Naruto began, his eyebrows knitted as he began his rant. "Why'd you go off on your own? What if something had happened like it did earlier today?"

"I'm so sorry, Naruto, but..." Hinata looked away, embarrassed by her behaviour under his reproach. "Well, I was woken up by Haruki, and..." Naruto still looked at her unhappily, and made Hinata rush, "...and he was crying, and he cried himself to sleep and he was so sad, and I was too cold to really sleep well, so I thought..."

Naruto's face softened, and he put up his hand to stop her from speaking. "I get it. It's okay, you're safe. I'm here now if something goes wrong."

Hinata looked at him. "So you're not going to make me go back?"

"Nope. I woke up to go, and saw you weren't there. I figured you had gone looking again, so I came down here to help. But still..." Naruto gave her a serious look, "don't do that again please? Go off on your own I mean. I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

Hinata blushed, but nodded. "I won't. I'm sorry."

Naruto smiled. "Good. So, where do we stand? Have you found anything?"

Hinata walked over to where she was starting to look at the fireplace. "No, not yet. I've only looked at the rocking chairs so far. I was just about to take a closer look at the fireplace."

"Okay," Naruto said as he knelt next to Hinata. Together, they felt along each surface of the large fireplace, their fingertips following each crevice and scratch, searching out a clue. They did this for a few minutes in silence when Naruto stopped, and looked towards Hinata. "Hinata..."

She looked towards him with a curious eye. "You never finished your story earlier. About the story your mom used to tell you?"

"Oh, yes." Hinata was surprised and a little flattered Naruto had remembered. She turned back to her searching as she gathered her thoughts. Naruto watched her every move with curiosity. "Well, the story... my mother told it to me before bed if my day had been bad..."

"Bad how?"

Hinata was slightly troubled by the question. "If I was ever made to feel bad about my capabilities or about myself in general, my mother told me this story to make me feel better. It was so long ago. The story was about a woman who was so gentle and pure of heart that no one disliked her. She appeared to a group of people - I can't remember what their names were – who were being destroyed by strange wielders of dark magic." Naruto was so engrossed in the story that Hinata's weary sigh made him jump. "I'm sorry, Naruto, that the story is so broken. It was so long ago since I was told it that I can only remember bits and pieces..." Hinata placed her hand on the front of the fireplace to help stabilize her as she rocked back on her heels. Naruto mimicked her position, placing a hand on the fireplace and twisting his body to look at her.

"That sounds like it was a great story. I guess your mom wanted you to grow up to be like the woman in the story. I sorta wish I had a mom to tell me stories like that."

For a moment Hinata looked horrified. "Oh, Naruto, I'm sorry."

"Nah, it's okay. Neither of us can help that. You know, from what you've told me about that lady, you do sound a lot like her."

Hinata looked away. "I wish I was a half of what that woman was like. I don't have her bravery or beauty or strength. I am nothing like her."

"You're wrong." Naruto said strongly, causing Hinata to look up into Naruto's face. "You are very brave, and though you may not have the physical strength of many, you make up for it in your own strengths. You're smart, and quick, and you have your Byakugan. And you're so kind." Here Naruto smiled. "I don't forget all the times you've helped me out, and talked me out of bad times. You just talk yourself down too much." Naruto took a deep breath. "And about beauty..."

"Wait, what's that?" Hinata said, her eyes opening wide. Naruto saw it too; out of nowhere, underneath where their palms rested on either side of the fireplace, light appeared. The glow illuminated their shocked faces fiercely, and they had to squint as the light grew.

"Naruto, remove your hand quick! Something's happening!" Hinata jumped away from the fireplace just as Naruto did. "What is going on?"

Where there hands just were, there were now two glowing sun carvings. The light continued to grow in strength until they could barely see, until suddenly, the fireplace burst into flame, and the light from the two carvings dimmed once more. A few stunned moments passed, with nothing more than the crackling of flame breaking the silence.

Naruto was the first to speak. "What the hell was that?"

Hinata's brows were furrowed in concentration. "I don't know, but I think maybe we should go back and tell Shikamaru..."

Without warning, the floor beneath them gave a grinding squeak, and the large sun carving they were stood upon split down the middle, opening up to a large dark hole. With a scream, Hinata started to fall down. Naruto slipped a kunai knife down his sleeve and tried to drive it into the edge of the moving floor and catch Hinata at the same time, but just as his hand grabbed her arm, the extra weight caused the edge of the ground to give way, and both Hinata and Naruto plunged screaming into the hole beneath them. Less than a second passed until they hit a steep slope of smooth, cold stone. They slid full speed further down into the darkness, helpless to do anything but wait until they stopped. It seemed like an eternity had passed when they felt themselves slow down and safely stop.

"Naruto," Hinata called out, panicking and coughing from the dust they had kicked up. She enabled her Byakugan, and saw his chakra in the dark, just behind where she had landed. She walked to him and helped him up.

"I'm alright, just a little shaken up." He replied. "You?"

"I'm fine physically..." Hinata replied. "But I'm not sure if we're alright. Now we're lost and we have no way back and I dragged you into this." Hinata started to get more upset as she spoke. "I disobeyed orders and it could cost us not only this mission, but our lives! This is entirely my fault."

Hinata gave a shaky sigh of disappointment and frustration. "Hinata, please?" Naruto said, hoping to curb her negative thoughts. "It's no good to think about that. I came after you of my own will, and stayed with you. All that's done. We need to look forward. Think about it. This is almost guaranteed what happened to Akiko. We could be right on the trail of finding her!"

Hinata gasped. "You're right, Naruto. That makes perfect sense. We'll just have to trust that Shikamaru and Haruki can figure out what happened. They'll know that the room was the last place we were. My candle is still up there. Though, that means we have no light with us now. Where do we go from here?"

Naruto knelt down, placing his bag in front of him. "I guess we'll have to wander around here and try and find a way out."

Hinata thought further about it. "I guess we could treat this area like a maze, of sorts."

"Yeah? What do you mean?"

"Well," Hinata began, "in a maze, one trick people use is to use a clue... or any rope or thread, to mark the path they've chosen. The more trying method, but one guaranteed to work, is to move along with your hand placed on the wall, so that you'll follow each wall until, eventually, come to the end."

Naruto smiled. "That sounds awesome Hinata! I told you that you were smart." Hinata blushed, while Naruto felt around for the items he had taken with him, and he felt his hand wrap around what he was searching for. "There we go. Here, hold still for a second. This will help me keep together with you easier, and keep us from getting separated."

He proceeded to tie the end of a rope he had brought around her waist. As he did so, Hinata spoke quietly, even though he was bent towards her, his face closer to hers than he thought. "Thank you, Naruto. We'll find our way, and we'll find Akiko as well."

Naruto smiled. "You bet. Now," he said, finishing the knot on her end of the rope, and tying his own, "let's set off. You lead, since you know how to do that maze thing better and you have your Byakugan. You just let me know if you want to rest, or if you sense anything unusual, okay? And remind me to mark our path, just in case Shikamaru and Haruki actually manage to find this place."

"Okay Naruto," Hinata agreed, "I'm ready. We'll mark an x at intervals in the path with our kunai. That way, if they bring lights, they can see the symbols we made."

"Excellent. See? We've got this," Naruto told her. "I guess we can leave, then."

Naruto waited until he felt the tug of the rope around his waist, and then started forward. They walked for some time in a straight line, every once in a while a turn taking them to the left. The path was a constant downwards slant, and the further they went, the fresher and warmer the air became.

Though there was no way to tell, there seemed to be no side paths deviating from the first path they took, as if there was only one way to go. The constant downward slope wore on their legs after all their time walking. Once in a while Naruto would ask Hinata how she was doing, and if her Byaugan could pick up any signs of chakra, but so far there was no sign of anything but more darkness ahead. Naruto wished that they had lights to see their surroundings; the loss of his sense of sight began to frustrate him, but he knew wishing for something they didn't have would get him nowhere. He would just have to let Hinata lead the way and hope soon for a way out.

"I miss light." Naruto heard Hinata say in front of him. "I miss being able to see colour around me, and brightness and texture. I just want to see light once more."

"We'll find our way out, Hinata," Naruto assured her, "don't you worry. We've been walking for so long, I'm sure we'll soon find something. Do you hear that?" He stopped, as did Hinata. In the distance the sound of fast running water could be heard, the rush of a swift stream. "I bet that the water is coming from just ahead. If we can find the water, we can follow it. I'm sure it has to lead outside."

"You're right." Hinata said, hopefulness returning to her voice. "Of course, I hear the water too. It must come from somewhere outside. Naruto, I'm impressed!"

Naruto grinned, feeling smart and proud at her compliment. He stretched his arms coolly over his head. "Well, I don't mean to brag, but..."

His words were drowned out by a deafening rumbling from beneath them. The earth shook, sending clouds of dust and dirt in the air, which stuck in their throats, causing them to choke. "What the hell is this?" Naruto called out, bracing himself in the tunnel.

"I don't know..." Hinata said. Another stronger quake of movement sent her to her knees, and that's when she felt it. Under her knees, there seemed to be a seam in the ground. Her hand flew to it, and she drew her fingertips along it. She gasped in realization. "Naruto! Be careful, the floor is breaking up!"

"What?" He yelled in bewilderment.

"Naruto, I think the water is coming from _below_ us. It has caused the tunnel we're in now to become weak, and our extra weight is causing it to crumble. We have to get out of here now!"

"Hurry Hinata, get..." before he could finish his sentence, he felt the ground below his feet give way, and for the second time that day he felt himself falling through the air. Rock fell all around him as the whole tunnel floor crumbled. For a second, he felt a painful pull about his waist; Hinata's weight had kept him from falling. He grunted as he felt the rope pull tight as it reached its limit, jerking his body to a halt. Then he felt himself fall again, and he heard Hinata scream from a mixture of fright, pain and surprise, and also joined him in his descent. They fell for a couple of seconds, and then he felt the cold shock of water engulf him and sweep him forwards. His lungs filled with water, and he choked. He wildly pushed his body towards the surface, and when he broke it he gasped for air. He flailed his arms and legs, trying to keep his head above the swift running torrents, but his body kept being dragged down by the rope and attached weight. He knew Hinata had fallen down, but he had no idea if she was okay, or where she was. He had enough of a problem keeping his own head above water.

He had to get himself out of the current. He had to come up with a plan, and he had to make sure Hinata was okay.

Using all of his strength, he swam to one side, hoping that he would something to grab on to. He hit a rock wall, worn mostly smooth by the constant flow of water. Frantically he groped the wall searching for a hand hold. When his fingers wrapped around a jutting rock he grabbed on to it for dear life. As he held on, he felt the rope around his waist twist until it had turned around half-way, and then tugged harshly on his gut, carrying Hinata with the current. He grunted as it pulled at him, but he remained where he was. The rock cut at his hands painfully, but still he kept a grip.

"Hinata!" Naruto called out, afraid that she had lost consciousness. "Hinata, answer me! Are you okay?"

In response, he heard her gasp as she also broke the surface of the water. "Naruto," she coughed feebly, "I'm right here..." she stopped, and Naruto knew that she had gone under again. Tethered to the rope, she was a prisoner to the flow of the current, and she was constantly being pulled under.

"Hinata, pull yourself to me by the rope!" Naruto yelled to her, hoping she had heard him. He didn't know what else to do, but if she couldn't get out of the water before they knew what to do she would drown. If he let go now, they would both drown, prisoners to the current and their own situation of being tied together. They needed to come up with a plan.

Naruto felt a tug on the rope, and knew that Hinata was pulling herself to him. The rope was not long, and soon he could hear her more clearly, splashing at his side. "Naruto, I see you." She called. She was breathing heavily from the effort of pulling herself to him by the rope. "Now what do I do? I can't stay in the water much longer. I'm starting to lose my strength. The water is too strong and cold."

"Yeah, I know." He noticed the numb sensation in his legs as well. Above that, his body was out of the water, and not as chilled. Hinata was submerged completely, and he knew that her body would not respond if she became too cold. She would not be able to keep her head above water. He needed to get her out of the water until a plan was thought of.

"Hinata," Naruto called over the din of the rushing water, "climb on my back."

"What? Are you sure?" Hinata seemed shocked. "Naruto, I can't! The rock may not be able to support our combined weight, and you need your strength. I can't do it. I can't risk both of us..."

Naruto didn't wait for more reasons. Making sure he could keep a hold of the rock with one hand, he reached down and grabbed Hinata's arm, dragging her out of the water. He growled with the effort, as her wet clothes made her body seem much heavier. She gasped as she left the water, and her arms wrapped instinctively about his neck. She was careful to cause him the least amount of discomfort, but Naruto felt the extra strain. He was careful not to show it, making sure Hinata did not have any excuse to jump back into the water.

"There, that's not so bad, is it?" Naruto laughed. Even though they were soaked with freezing water, having her on his back made him feel warmer. He also felt more at ease with her close to him. He felt her shiver, and her body rise and fall from trying to catch her breath, and knew she would not have lasted much longer in the water. "Now, what is our plan? Can you see anything?"

"Let me try." She paused, and he waited for her to view the path in front of them. It took less than a minute. "I can see! There's light at the end of the tunnel. It's almost a straight path. The water is treacherous, though. There are rocks poking out of the rapids everywhere. If we're not careful, we'll be beaten to death. And we can't use chakra to stand on the water. The surface is too wild. It would be like a conveyor belt, too uneven to stand on, and there is only a small space above the water. We would have to bend, and we would surely lose our balance. If we fell, we'd be sucked under the water."

"Okay then," Naruto huffed in exertion. "Hinata, since you can see, you'll have to lead. Can you swim through this?"

He felt her nod against his shoulder. "Yes, I can. Don't worry Naruto. I promise I won't let you down. I will lead you safely through. Oh..."

"What is it?" He asked. He liked the plan they had created.

"It won't work." Hinata said.

"Huh? Why not? What's wrong with the plan?" Naruto ran through the plan in his head and could find no fault. But if it meant their lives, he would put his pride on hold and listen to Hinata.

"The rope...it's not long, but long enough for you not to be able to follow where I'm going. You may end up on my other side, and if we got tangled we would be in trouble. And if you go first, I won't be able to tell you where to go before you end up crashing into a rock."

Hinata had a good point. Naruto could see that she was right. "I refuse to believe that we can't make this work." He said. He closed his eyes, concentrating. His arms were burning with the effort of holding the two of them out of the water. His legs stung from being buffeted by the small rocks in the cold water. "Hinata, we need to think of something quickly, because I can't stay here much longer. My arms feel like they're falling off."

"Umm..." Hinata thought out loud. "Ah! Naruto, can you swim with me on your back? Would that be too hard?"

"I think I can manage that for a short while," Naruto said. "Why?"

"If you can swim with me on your back, I can direct you and help keep you away from any rocks you come too close to. I can kick out and keep you safe while you swim. This way, we'll both know where to go, and we'll be keeping each other safe."

Naruto let a harsh breath escape in relief. "Hinata, I think that may work." He lowered the two of them into the water once more, waist deep. They felt the tug of the water on their legs, and the cold seeping into their bodies. Shivers went down their spines.

"Hinata, are you ready to go?"

With a deep breath, she replied, "As ready as I'll ever be."

Bracing himself for what was ahead, Naruto allowed his fingers to release from the rock. Instantly he and Hinata were pulled under the water's surface, dragged by the undertow. Using all his strength, Naruto struck out and broke the surface again. He hadn't anticipated that Hinata would be so much extra weight, but he couldn't fail. Not now.

Hinata suddenly tensed the arms that were around his neck. "Naruto, swim to the left!" He heard her call out, and he kicked out towards that direction. When he felt her relax, he knew he had passed the dangerous rock. Soon after, he heard her call again. "Naruto, swim to the right now."

Naruto started to swim in that direction. "We're not going to make it..." he heard Hinata mutter, and suddenly he heard her huff in effort. He changed direction slightly, and he knew that she had pushed them off of an upcoming rock.

"Good job Hinata." He encouraged her breathlessly. He was starting to tire, but he forced himself on. They swam for a few minutes, sometimes going over small waterfalls that caused them to submerge, and took their breath away. Naruto was starting to worry as his strength failed him, but the determination not to let Hinata down kept him going.

"Naruto, we're almost there!" Hinata called out. She released her grip on his neck and slid into the water. "I see the end of the tunnel."

Naruto could hardly feel her weight leave his back, he was so drained. He looked forward in a daze, and saw light appear in front of him at a fast pace. It blinded him, and he closed his eyes against it.

They two ninja shot out of the tunnels, as if on a waterslide, and landed in more water. When they did, both managed to swim once more above the water level. Hinata broke the surface first. She looked about her and, seeing that her Byakugan was no longer needed, let her power subside and her eyes returned to normal. She ignored her surroundings, as she was more concerned for her partner.

"Naruto, we made it!" She called happily. However, her delight vanished when she saw Naruto weakly break the surface. "Hey, are you okay?" She asked him as she lifted herself onto the water's surface, the chakra in her feet keeping her out of the still water. When she saw that Naruto was not doing the same, she ran to him. "Naruto?" She asked again, more worried now, as she reached down and grabbed his leaden arm and dragged him out of the water, "Please answer me. Are you okay?"

Finally, he responded and she felt his weight shift as he sent chakra to his feet and steadied himself. "I-I'm fine, Hinata but... I think I'm hallucinating."

Hinata frowned. "What do you mean?"

Naruto pointed towards the shore, a look of bewilderment on his face. Hinata turned her head to see what he was pointing at, and she gasped at the sight.

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><p><strong>There you go. Hope you enjoyed! Til next week, take care everyone. <strong>


	5. Fighting The Shadows!

**Hi everyone, **

**I apologize for the delay. I just started Pharmacy school and something really tragic has happened in my family, so things have been pretty crazy for me. Mostly I haven't been in the right mind-set to write anything new. Luckily I'm ahead a couple of chapters, so its all good. I hope to have things returning to normal soon-ish, and have the next weekend not filled with my boyfriend trying to keep my mind off of bad things (bless his heart 3). Cross your fingers for me!**

**Hope you all enjoy the chapter, I think it's a great one. Please comment and let me know how my writing was? I would love some criticism and advice. **

**Disclaimer: Same as Chapter One. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: Fighting the Shadows!<strong>

"Oh..." Hinata was stunned at the sight before her. No amount of penetrating eyesight from her Byakugan could have prepared her for the perplexing things she and Naruto were now seeing.

"This can't be real..." Naruto spoke. "We were on a snow-covered mountain, and it was freezing! How can a place like this even exist here?"

From where they stood, on a crystal clear lake with the mountain to their backs and all around them at the edge of their vision, they could see a whole forest of great leafy trees. The contrast of greens and browns of jungle and grass after being in the icy blue Temple of the Cosmos was almost blinding. The sky above them was a placid azure, with fluffy benevolent clouds hanging on the edges of the sky. In the very far distance, the tips of mountains could be seen, white capped with snow. The far away traces of cloud could be seen hanging near them like flags. Already their clothes and hair, drenched with icy water, were beginning to dry with the warm breeze and temperatures. The trees spread out in front of them in all directions, with only a small coast of grass separating it from the lakeside. A worn trail could be seen to their right, heading into the trees.

"How can this be?" Hinata said. She was shocked by what she saw. "This is..."

"Amazing," Naruto finished for her. Hinata looked over to him, and saw that he was still shivering, and panting heavily from the exertion of keeping the both of them above water. He turned his head and looked at her. He grinned reassuringly. "Well, I guess there's nothing we can do now but explore." He closed his eyes, gathering what strength remained to him, and set himself upright. He had walked a few paces before Hinata started walking after him. As they left the rushing sound of the waterfall they had just swum through, Hinata started to become more wary of this strange place.

"Naruto, how can a place like this even exist?" She asked as they walked. "We were just in the middle of a freezing mountain, searching a musty temple and its hallways. I'm sure we have not travelled far enough down to be in a climate like this."

Naruto remained quiet for a bit, trying to come up with an answer. After a while he shrugged. "I really can't answer you. We can't go back through the tunnels. So, I guess all we can do is go ahead and explore. And besides," He added, "I need to rest. My limbs feel like they're ready to fall off."

"Oh, yes. You're right." She said. "You had to hold me out of the water for all that time and then swim all the way through that cold water with me on your back." She sighed, "I'm sorry you needed to put yourself in that kind of danger for me."

"If you hadn't come up with that plan, we would still be in that water, and we probably wouldn't have made it out. Don't apologize." He gave her a wide grin. "If you want to make it up to me though," he added, looking to her with a tired look in his eye, "how about we have something to eat first?"

Hinata smiled shyly. "Yes, that sounds good."

* * *

><p>"<em>What are we supposed to do now?"<em>

The last thing that Shikamaru had expected to find that morning when he woke up was that two of the four of them were nowhere to be seen. After a thorough search, Haruki and he could only conclude that Hinata and Naruto had ventured by themselves into the hallways to search for Akiko themselves. Upon discovering this, the two remaining ninja went to the room they had been in before, and found only a candle remaining of their friends. When it had dawned on him, Shikamaru instantly tried to come up with a plan. Haruki, however, was content to pace anxiously about the room, vicious and concerned, muttering the whole time.

Opening one eye lazily, Shikamaru followed the constant circular path Haruki followed on the floor. He closed his eye again. "Haruki, calm down and stay still. We need to think of a plan."

"_Yeah, that's easier said than done." _Shikamaru thought to himself. _"I don't know what Naruto and Hinata were thinking, going off alone like that. This just wrecks any precautions that we could have made. Now our organization is ruined, and our objectives changed. But perhaps there can be some good come from this..."_

"I guess we have to try and find out what happened here." Shikamaru finally said. "It's our only option at this point."

Haruki turned towards Shikamaru with a sour expression. However, all he said was "Go on. Why is that?"

Shikamaru sighed in relief that Haruki was going to be patient. "With Hinata and Naruto gone missing in the same place as Akiko, we can assume with a high probability that Naruto and Hinata suffered the same fate as Akiko. Which also means that we still only have one objective, not two. And in a way, this could be brought to our advantage, since we now have a fresh trail to follow."

Haruki frowned. "So what you're saying is..."

Shikamaru nodded; Haruki had caught on to his insinuating. "It means that we must try and find Naruto and Hinata's trail, hope they were on Akiko's trail, and go from there." He watched Haruki's face fall, and close his eyes. Shikamaru sighed. "I'm sorry, it's still all so uncertain, but this is all we can do now. I hope you understand."

"I do, but I hope you can understand," Haruki stated as he hoisted his pack on his back, "That if we cannot find Akiko in time, I will blame your teammates, and I will never forgive them. This is how I feel. I wish them no harm, even if we do not find Akiko in time. And you may also choose to leave this place, if you lose hope. I will never stop searching until she is found. However," And he added an icy tone, "I will not let you go unpunished if you are the reason Akiko is not alive anymore. Do not make me do that."

Shikamaru rose to face Haruki. He could not blame Haruki for his words. "I understand. But also realize I'm on your side. Let's get going then. Since we're in such a bad predicament, I think it'd be our best bet to take our torches." Haruki agreed.

As they started their in depth search of the room for the second time, Shikamaru felt the stresses of being a leader weigh down on him. He worried dearly for his comrades, though he was still angry at their disappearance and disobedience. _"Please..." _Shikamaru pleaded to no one in particular as he walked, _"Please make sure that Haruki doesn't have a reason to make good on his word."_

* * *

><p>The small snack of soaked rice and fruit did not completely satiate them, but in their situation it was enough, and did the trick. Naruto stood and flexed his shoulders, and worked the last of the ache and stiffness out of them. He looked to where Hinata was trying to take stock of what remained to them after the water had invaded their packs and soaked their belongings. He watched her delicate features slide into a frown as she sorted what was spoiled and what was still good to keep.<p>

Naruto ventured towards her when she started to pack her bag again. "What do you think? Could we keep enough?"

Hinata slowed her work to answer. "I think so. A lot of food was ruined by the water, especially our salted preserves. But we could keep our fruits and nuts, and this place has many plants that are able to be eaten. This place... it still astounds me." She sighed. "I wish Shikamaru were here to try and explain this."

Naruto grimaced. "I don't. Shikamaru is going to flip when he finds us gone."

Hinata inwardly agreed. She was still very ashamed at what she had done, and by jeopardizing both her and Naruto's life, she felt even more repentant. "Still, what do we do now?" She looked up towards where they had shot out of the waterfall, and her eyes trailed the mountainside. The curve of the mountain was unbelievably jagged and crumbling, and the curve of the mountain went inwards than out, than in again. It was not possible to climb. "We cannot leave here by climbing."

"Well, if we can't climb, all that's left to do is explore. If we don't find more food somewhere here, then we'll starve before we get out of here."

"So, you think we should explore?" From Hinata's expression, Naruto could tell that she was uneasy at the prospect. "But there's so much mystery around this place. We don't know what to expect."

Naruto gave her a cheeky grin. "So why not catch anything out there by surprise, and find out for ourselves what's out there?" Hinata still did not seem convinced, so Naruto knelt down to face her. "Come on Hinata, trust me. We're not doing anything useful by just sitting here, so we may as well see what's here."

Hinata sighed in resignation. "It's not about trusting you Naruto, it's not trusting what's out there. But you are right." Naruto extended his hand, and Hinata took it as she stood, and with the other he gently took her knapsack and hoisted it upon his own back. Hinata blushed at the act. It never went unnoticed by Naruto, but he just smiled.

"Alright. Let's choose a direction, and start..."

"Shh!" Hinata clamped her palm quickly over his mouth, and in an instant had jumped into the nearest tree, hiding in the foliage. Naruto never wasted a second and swiftly followed her. Once by her side, he looked to her for an indication for her actions. She watched carefully, and then looked over her shoulder to where Naruto stood next to her. He could see her Byakugan activated. "Looks like you were right; we did catch someone before they caught us."

Naruto looked confused, so Hinata waited a few more seconds, and then waved him to follow her. They stealthily made their way through the treetops until they settled in a high, leafy tree. She pointed down to the ground, where the grass was flattened into a path meandering into the woods. As a warm breeze blew through the leaves, patches of light danced upon the ground, and then upon the group of four travellers that suddenly came into view. They wore loose, light clothes that looked very comfortable, but durable. Their skin was ruddy from a hard day at work and a lifetime under the sun. One man led a large and beautiful black workhorse by the reins as it carried logs upon its sturdy back. The other men carried axes and other woodcutting tools.

"A group of lumberjacks?" Naruto whispered to Hinata. "Where do you suppose they came from?"

Hinata shrugged. "I don't know," she whispered. Her eyes shone with curiosity, and she admitted to herself she was almost excited. "But what do you think we should do now?"

Naruto hesitated, but replied, "As much as I want to just jump down there, let's just watch for now."

Hinata nodded, and both turned back to the travellers. They were walking slowly up the road, but they did not seem at peace at all with themselves. The axes they carried were not casually kept slung over their shoulder, but were carried as if weapons, and all four men seemed completely on edge. The man who led the horse also seemed to have problems; the creature was constantly shaking its head, snorting unhappily. These facts escaped neither of the two watching the scene from above.

"These woods appear peaceful enough," Naruto quietly noted to Hinata, "I wonder why these guys seem so uptight?"

"You think we should go down there and ask for help?" Hinata suggested. "I think it would be better than following them, and besides, maybe they could help us. I would rather make friends than enemies in a strange land like this."

"Agreed." Naruto leaped past Hinata into a lower branch, and waited for Hinata to join him. In this way they both made their way to the path in front of the travellers. As they hit the ground, the men caught sight of them and jumped in fright. The three men with axes brought them up in retaliation, ready for a fight.

"Who are you!" The man in front questioned loudly. From fright or anger, neither ninja could tell. "Who sent you!"

"Woah, wait a minute," Naruto stepped protectively in front of Hinata, putting up his hands in an attempt to show they meant no harm. "We were up in the mountains and we fell in a river that dropped us into a lake back by the mountainside. We're ninja looking for a woman who got lost up there..."

"You lie," screamed the man as he stepped forward in hostility. "You're with _them_, aren't you? Huh? Answer me! You won't change us!"

"Wait, Hammond."

The man who had threatened Naruto and Hinata turned to the man who had addressed him, the man who led the horse. "Jarek, we cannot hesitate with their kind or we'll suffer the same fate as the others! We must protect these two and ourselves."

"No, they are not interlopers. Look at Jess."

Hammond and the other two men stopped, and turned to the horse, who was watching Naruto and Hinata calmly with its deep brown eyes. She seemed completely at ease. Hammond hesitated. "The horse is calm. I see..." He then turned to where Naruto still held his own defensive position in front of Hinata. Finally he lowered the axe he held. "I am sorry, strangers. But as of late, our land has fallen on very hard times, and no one is safe. I was only trying to protect myself and my comrades. Please, forgive me."

Naruto relaxed, and gave the men a reassuring smile. "No worries. I'm just glad we resolved that issue. My name is Naruto, and this is Hinata."

"I'm sorry we startled you." Hinata piped up, as she came up to stand next to Naruto.

When the men saw Hinata, the four of them gasped and went pale. Hinata seemed surprised and self-conscious by their reaction, but Naruto frowned. "Hey, what's up? What's wrong with you?"

"That girl..." Hammond stammered, his eyes wide as he stared openly at Hinata, "... who are you?"

Naruto could see Hinata shrink back from the intense looks the men gave her, and instinctively stepped in front of her once more. "Hey, give that up. Can't you see you're making us uncomfortable?"

Jarek shook himself from his stupor and stepped forward with Jess. "Forgive me, Naruto, was it? But the young lady behind you surprised us because her eyes..."

Naruto gritted his teeth. All of a sudden the hair on the back of his neck and arms were standing on end and a deep shiver ran down his spine. "Her eyes are very powerful, and they are a trait passed down in her family."

"No, you have me all wrong. They are not something to be afraid of, they are spoken of..."

A whinny stopped Jarek mid-sentence as Jess shook her large head and started to struggle against her reins. Her eyes were no longer calm but were wide with fright, and her struggling became uncontrolled jerking movements. The wind turned cold around them and the rich, warm sunlight disappeared behind low clouds as dark as coal. Everyone became still and for a moment only, the only sound was Jess's panicked whinnies and the howl of the wind.

And then a blood-curdling shriek split the moment like a snapping rope that sent everything into motion.

"Jarek!" Hammond screamed as the other two men ran along the path ahead of everyone else. "It's here! We must flee before it gets too close!"

"What the hell is going on here?" Naruto yelled over the din of all that was going on. Another shriek pierced the air, and Hinata cringed at the sound and angled herself closer to Naruto. Her eyes showed her terror, but her face was concentrated, and her byakugan had been activated. She started to scan the area.

"Jarek!" Hammond yelled again to his friend, "Did you hear me? We need to get out of here!"

Jarek fixed a steely gaze on Hammond that made him stop. "I will not leave the woman who could save our people!"

Both Hinata and Naruto stopped at those words, confused and surprised at Jarek's words. They watched as Hammond and Jarek stared at each other, a conversation passing between them unsaid, a product of being close friends for years.

Finally Hammond nodded his head and tossed down his axe. He ran at Jarek full speed. Suddenly, Jarek wheeled around and pulled a sharp dagger from a sheath at his hip and cut the ropes that held the logs to Jess' back. Finally free of all the extra weight, Jess made a final pull at her reins when Jarek tossed them in the air. With the speed and nimbleness that neither Hinata nor Naruto suspected, Hammond leapt onto the bare back of Jess and spurred her hard in the direction of the path, away from the three who remained, away from the sound of the shrieking.

Hammond looked over his shoulder. "Jarek, I'll get the others and we'll return. Keep yourself alive until then, eh?"

When Hammond and Jess had disappeared into the trees, Jarek placed himself in front of Naruto and Hinata, his dagger placed protectively in front of him. But Naruto had had enough, and grabbing Jarek's shoulder wheeled him around to face him.

"What the hell is going on here? What's causing the loud noises, and why is everyone so freaked out? What were you guys talking about interlopers? What does that word even _mean_?"

Jarek shrugged himself out of Naruto's grasp. "I've not the time to answer your questions. You said you were ninja?" Naruto gritted his teeth, but nodded. "Well, I will need your help. We must protect this girl."

"Don't act like you know her!" Naruto yelled at him. "And if this thing she needs protecting from is such a danger, we're going to need her help."

"Naruto!" Hinata choked out as she backed into him. Naruto spun around to face her at the contact. Her face was filled with terror. "What _is _that coming through the trees?" She pointed to a place in the trees near the path that the travellers had come from.

Naruto squinted into the darkness, but could not see anything. The shriek sounded again, and it was so near this time that the group clapped their hands over their ears. "Hinata, I can't see it! Where... what is it?"

"So much evil..." Hinata could not comprehend what it was her Byakugan was allowing her to see, but it was powerful and whatever kind of energy it had had the indelible coldness and darkness of something truly sinister. It almost had her dizzy.

"Hinata? Are you okay?" Naruto reached out to her and held her shoulders. "What is it? Can you tell us anything about it?"

"It's here." Jarek spoke in a calm tone, but his voice trembled. "We must protect the saviour, even if it means to the death!"

Naruto gave Jarek another confused, angry look, but his attention was quickly diverted when all went still around him, as if in the calm of the storm. The wind ceased to blow, and the dark clouds above them stopped swirling, and hung menacingly above them.

And then the huge shadow beast crawled out of trees, and that was all anyone could think about. It was at nearly ten feet tall and fifteen feet long, a hulking silhouette that resembled a large predatory animal. The creature was so black that it looked like someone had ripped the background from the world, leaving nothing but dark emptiness behind. The only part of the creature that was not black was its blood red eyes, claws and teeth. When it emerged from the trees, its eyes rested on the three people standing before it, and it froze, just staring.

Naruto stared at the beast, not moving, not knowing what to do. "What the hell... is that?"

"We call them sayomi. It means 'night-born'. They are made of complete darkness, and only certain weapons, like this one, can kill it." Jarek pulled out a second of the thick daggers he had with ease. The blades were made of a white metal that seemed to shine with sunlight, almost blinding Naruto. "But with my daggers alone, I have little chance of destroying it."

"What's that? You mean you stayed here knowing you probably couldn't kill it? What did you do that for?"

"We could not all outrun it. If it found us here, it has our scents, and we could not lead it back to the city. We can only stall it long enough to make sure that it does not hurt the princess, until Hammond can bring reinforcements."

"How long will that take?" Naruto spoke, remaining still lest the monster should attack.

"Probably long enough for the monster to have its way with you and I."

Naruto shot him a worried look, his blue eyes troubled. "So you're saying we'll probably die protecting Hinata...?"

"Gentle Fist!"

"Wha?" Naruto saw the small blur of lilac and white fly by him, not leaving him enough time to reach out.

"No!" Jarek screamed after her. "Do not attack it yourself!"

However, Hinata still ran towards the massive shadow beast. At her movement, the beast let loose a ground-shaking screech, and with lightning quick speed it made ready to attack. Hinata clenched her teeth and gathered her resolve, and with her concentration at its fullest she channelled as much chakra as she could handle into her hands, ready to strike the beast at what she thought was its weak spot.

She could hear the men behind her call her name in warning, but she ignored the counsel. She needed to do this. She needed to try.

The sayomi's eye flicked towards Hinata, and suddenly it seemed to shrink back. It seemed to disappear into thin air, and Hinata skidded to a halt. However, the sayomi did not escape her eye. From where she had stopped she turned on her toe and rushed back to where Naruto and Jarek were searching frantically for the sayomi.

"Naruto!" Hinata warned desperately, "Above you! Look out!"

Both men looked up and saw the sayomi bearing down on top of them. They both leapt from the site where the beast landed a second later, both recovering quickly and back on their feet in an instant, ready to attack or defend. If he weren't so focussed on the sayomi, Naruto would have commented on the litheness and strength of Jarek.

"You shall die today, you beast!" Jarek ran at the sayomi with his daggers, but the creature was too quick for him, and with a quick flip of its thick forearm, Jarek was sent flying through the trees. A few seconds later, a splash could be heard.

Hinata finally caught up to Naruto, just as the sayomi turned towards them. It made its shrill call once again and started to advance slowly towards them.

"Hinata," Naruto spoke as they both backed up from the creature, "what do we do? I don't even know how to approach this creature."

"Umm... well," Hinata began, but was stopped as a large arm came down on top of them. They both darted to the left, keeping together but making sure they weren't hit. When they were safe for the moment, Hinata continued, "my Byakugan is sensing that this creature is drawing a lot of power from a central source. I see it, but..."

"But what?" Naruto urged her. "What do you see?"

"Well, I don't sense that it's chakra coming from the beast."

"What?"

The sayomi wheeled around like a bullet, whipping a thick tail with it that Naruto and Hinata barely cleared with a high jump into a nearby tree. They watched in horror as the low-lying branches hit by its tail were snapped as easily as toothpicks.

Naruto looked meaningfully at Hinata, with something Hinata had never seen so surely on his face before. Fear.

"Hinata, so what you're saying is that... this thing... isn't even alive?"

The sayomi lunged for the pair in the tree, and another leap into the air kept them from harm's way. They flew into another tree, trying to keep as far away from the creature as possible. "No. I mean, I'm not sure... I don't know what I am looking at. Oh, I wish Jarek had told us more before the sayomi got him. I hope that he is okay..."

"We can't worry about him now, we have our hands full. Hinata, what do you see?" Naruto tensed himself, ready to move at a moment's notice. "Is there some weak spot we should try attacking? Jarek said only he could kill it with those daggers of his, but we have to try at least with what we have."

"I think," She started, analyzing the pulsating energy moving from a central source deep in the beast's chest, "we should try a physical, long-range attack first, to determine if we can attack it like that."

"Right." Naruto said, as he bounded from the tree they were both in and flew across the sky over the sayomi. When he was right above the creature, he sent a barrage of ninja stars and kunai knives with paper bombs tied to them hurtling towards the sayomi. In an instant the sayomi was hidden from view from the dust and smoke caused by the explosions. It gave a cry of pain, and when Naruto landed, he gave a triumphant smirk. "Hah! I think that did it!"

Hinata did not move, but kept her gaze steadily on the cloud of smoke in front of her. What Hinata could only call the dark chakra of the beast was coursing through it like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. "What?" She said, surprised. "I was sure that would have at least some effect..."

A black shadow flew from the smoke in Naruto's direction, and Hinata could only shout his name as the sayomi crashed full speed into the tree where Naruto was. It cracked with such ferocity Naruto was knocked off balance, and fell from the tree awkwardly. Hinata watched as Naruto managed to grab on to a branch to bring himself back in control, and he nimbly hopped from tree to tree, where he rolled to safety on the ground. Hinata sighed in relief. "Naruto, are you okay?"

Naruto also breathed a sigh in relief. "Yeah, I think so. That was close..."

But he spoke too soon as, in the blink of an eye, the sayomi was back again, and this time Naruto couldn't react in time. Like a tiger at hunt, the sayomi pounced at Naruto, and as Naruto tried to jump out of its path he felt its weighty paw slam down on his legs, sending him down in a puff of dust to the ground. Hinata heard him gasp as the wind was knocked from his lungs from the impact.

"Naruto!" Hinata screamed after him as she started sprinting towards him. She felt like she was running in slow motion as she watched the scene before her. But Naruto wasn't giving up that easily. As the sayomi brought down its bright red claws to rip through his body, Naruto managed to slip from underneath the large dark paw and avoid the claws. Naruto ran to Hinata, and both watched with wide eyes as they saw the sayomi struggle to free its claws where they had been driven into the ground nearly two feet deep. Naruto shivered.

"I am so glad that those claws aren't in me right now." He said quietly. As he wiped the sweat from his brow he turned to Hinata and said, "I don't know where to go from here. If that attack didn't work, no physical attack will. You have an idea what to try?"

"Ahh, I've been trying to watch the energy that's flowing through the creature," Hinata spoke, her voice trembling, "and I think we need to focus our attention on its chest."

"Why?" Asked Naruto, watching as the creature got its paw a little looser in the dirt. Before Hinata could continue her answer, he wheeled around, grabbed her hand and ran to the protection of the forest. When they were a far enough away, still able to see the creature and yet hidden in a thicket of trees, Hinata continued.

"All of its strength seems to be emanating from this central source, in its chest. I think, if we can hit it with an equal type of force, like our own chakra, we may be able to neutralize it."

"So, who's going to attack? Your gentle fist could get directly to the source."

"I tried already, but for some reason it seemed almost afraid to get near me once I started focussing my chakra. It makes me think that chakra-based attacks are its weakness. Whoever attacks, we need to be careful it doesn't evade our attack." She nodded. "You're right. My gentle fist style can more effectively attack..."

"No chance."

Hinata and Naruto looked up from their planning to see Jarek appear from the direction he had been sent flying. He held his left side with that arm, but blood still seeped around the wound that he hid, and his left eye was black. His daggers hung in their sheaths; he could not use them in his condition. He looked like he was in pretty bad shape.

"Jarek!" Hinata said upon seeing him. "Are you okay?"

"I am fine, but you attacking that monster is simply out of the question."

Naruto was about to say something but Hinata beat him to it. "And who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do?" Anger and indignation flared in her eyes, and a long-forgotten pain that came rushing back. "I will not stand back and be protected when I can be right up there fighting. If we're going to come out of this alive, you need me. And another thing..."

The scream of the sayomi and the pounding of the earth as it ran towards them directed all their attentions to the beast. Jarek made to move out of its way, but his quick movement made him flinch in pain, and he fell to his knees in pain. Hinata, her anger forgotten, ran to him, helped support him, and made a laboured jump into the nearest tree. Naruto jumped in the opposite direction, towards the sayomi.

While in the air, Naruto made the hand signs "Multi-shadow clone jutsu!" Six cloned appeared in a cloud of smoke. Five ran after the sayomi, hoping to distract it, while the other clone helped shape the spinning ball of chakra forming in the real Naruto's palm. "Hinata!" He called as the rasengan was being finished, "Where should I hit this thing?"

Hinata stared at the creature with her byakugan where she knelt with Jarek. "Hit it directly in the center of its chest, Naruto! The source of its energy is there!" Hinata made sure Jarek was secure, and then ran after Naruto. She heard Jarek cry out for her to stop, but she wasn't about to leave Naruto to face this huge unknown creature alone. She wished she had been the one in Naruto's position, as she felt confident she had the better ability to attack in this instance. As she followed him, she watched the results of his attack.

After her direction, Naruto finished his rasengan and dove for the creature at full speed. As he neared it, he could feel the cold emanating from it, like he was diving into a bowl of ice, but he couldn't be stopped now. He could feel the flow and pulsating of the rasengan in his hand. He knew he would connect with the sayomi and feel his hand inch further into the sayomi's body as the rasengan ate through it like a drill, until he hit the point Hinata told him about, and this nightmare would be over. He was an instant from hitting the sayomi, and Naruto set himself up for impact.

But no impact came.

Hinata watched as, the instant it seemed like Naruto would connect with the sayomi, it seemed to turn to a dark, vaporous cloud that Naruto went completely through. Hinata watched as the energy that spread to the periphery of the sayomi's body was retracted at the same moment to the very target she had told Naruto about. She watched as the dark charkra took on the form of a human being. From his chakra network, she could tell Naruto was disoriented from the sudden change of circumstances, and hidden in the murkiness he went hurtling to the ground, where he landed with a sickening thud.

"Oh no," Hinata whispered as she stopped, unsure of what was happening, but knowing she had to go to Naruto. "Naruto! Answer me please! Are you okay?"

Naruto made a slight movement, but he was sluggish and disoriented from his clumsy, uncoordinated fall. He lifted himself slowly into a half-sitting position, and put his hand to his head. The dark cloud, what remained of the sayomi, hung close by, but seemed harmless now. Hinata could not detect even a human shaped energy source anymore, just a single dark, dispersed sphere of energy. Hinata chanced it and ran to Naruto to see if he was okay.

When she reached him, she saw the large bruise and bump emerging from his head, just above the temple. His eyes were half closed, and he seemed only half conscious. "Hinata," He croaked, seeing her, "what happened? Where'd the... the thing go?"

"Oh Naruto, it disappeared before you hit it." She gently touched his head, but pulled back when he winced. "It changed into a different form, and you went right through it. Please stay calm. I think you might have a concussion. You need to stay down."

"But the creature..."

"Naruto, you need to be treated..."

"No Hinata, the creature! Watch out!"

Hinata wheeled around and saw the dark cloud start to swirl, forming back into the creature it was before. It happened so quickly. The sayomi formed in the air, front first, and bounded towards the two ninja. If it were possible, Hinata would have said it looked even more dangerous than before. Aside from its two front fangs, its teeth were shining with a liquid red, as if its teeth were made of blood. The fangs glistened and were coloured depthless purplish black not unlike potassium iodine. They were bigger than before. Her eyes could see it; the concentration now of the energy in the sayomi heading straight to its mouth. Her heart jumped to her throat as she saw its mouth open for her.

"Hinata, _move_!"

She felt the deadweight of Naruto hit her back as he jumped up and pushed her out of the path of the attacking monster. She saw the black tooth graze along the side of Naruto's leg as the sayomi jumped past them both. She heard Naruto's cry of pain, and the sound of them land on the ground.

"Nnngh..." Naruto gritted his teeth against the pain of the injury of his leg, grabbing hold of it and looking at the damage. A long, thin cut came across the calf of his leg. From looking at the cut it was not a serious injury, but Hinata could tell from Naruto's expression that it was painful.

"Naruto, are you okay?" Hinata scrambled up and crawled to his side. Naruto still clenched his jaw, but nodded.

"Hinata, get out of here." Naruto choked out. He was trembling now, and his teeth chattered. "I don't know if we can kill this thing. I can't move anymore, my leg feels too messed up. Go and save yourself."

Water gathered at the corners of her eyes. "Naruto, I can't just leave you here!"

"Please..." The way with which Naruto said this one word caused her to look at him eye to eye. His proud blue ones were filled with pain, and concern for her. He clenched at the ground with his fingers. "Do this for me. Don't let me keep you from going on and completing this mission."

The tears fell from her eyes as she bowed her head. "Don't be ridiculous." Naruto looked at her, watched her. When her head rose, her eyes were the fiercest he'd ever seen them. "I will not leave you at the hands of this beast. And you will complete this mission with me, and Shikamaru. I will _not _fail in this." She turned away from Naruto and faced down the sayomi, which had just recovered from its lunge and was now facing her.

"_For Naruto..." _Hinata said to herself as she readied her stance. _"I have to do this. I must protect him at all costs." _She focussed her Byakugan, and her trembling body, and erased the hopelessness that tried mightily to steal her mind. All she saw now in the world was her enemy.

The sayomi saw her, but this time did not hesitate to come at her full force. It has tasted Naruto's blood, and the lust it had imbued in the creature sent it into frenzy. Giving its loud, shrieking call, it barrelled its way towards Hinata and Naruto. Hinata furrowed her brow in concentration, waiting for the right moment to strike. If what she thought was correct, she wasn't the sayomi's target. She waited until the beast was nearly upon her, and then the beast tried leaping over to get at Naruto.

Exactly what she had counted on.

With a shout of effort, she directed a powerful gentle fist attack upwards into the belly of the beast. Her hand felt like it was immersed in ice as it penetrated the outer darkness, and then Hinata felt her hand come into contact with something truly solid. As suddenly as it had formed from the dark cloud before, the sayomi seemed to draw in to itself. Hinata could see the energy immediately disappear from the form. Moments later, the chill dissipated from the air and the howls from the wind outside their sphere died down to the simple, warm breezes that were present before. Whatever she had hit inside of the sayomi had disabled it for good.

Her heart slowed, and she allowed herself to breathe again.

Until she heard Naruto cry out.

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><p><strong>Until next chapter everyone, I wish you all the best, and stay safe. <strong>


	6. Watching the Clock: The Vigil

**"What doesn't kill you can only make you stronger". I guess it's true. Oh man, what a roller coaster of a few months. Filled with genetic diseases, tragedies, happiness, and everything in between. It's been a wild time for me, one of immense change, but I finally feel like things have calmed down, even though I'm on the cusp of a new semester of Pharmacy School. Thank God for all of the amazing people in my life, including the readers of my stories, who constantly serve to lift my spirits when things get down. I sincerely apologize for not posting; it is inexcusable, and I really hope I haven't ruined things for you. On that note, I will post what I have remaining that's written every Thursday evening, methinks. I'll have to really try and remember that!**

**I'm really in the mood for writing as of late (maybe The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword did something? Hmm...), and tonight while the boy plays Skyrim, I'm writing :) YAY! Hopefully it'll last. **

**I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Please PM me if there are any mistakes. I have 8:30 a.m. class, so I'm kinda in a rush for this, but any mistakes will be minor I'm sure; I re-read this chapter so many times while writing to make sure the flow was right. Have a great time with this everyone :)**

**Disclaimer: The usual. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: Watching the Clock: The Vigil<strong>

"Naruto?" She turned towards where he lay, and stopped short upon looking at him. Though he was in bad shape before, he had worsened by degrees in mere moments. "Naruto?" She said, in a more panicked voice as she ran to his side. She looked him over quickly and carefully. His face was ashen with pain, and his eyes, which were now closed, rolled wildly underneath their lids. He writhed in pain, and even his breathing was laboured. Hinata knew these were not the symptoms of a concussion. "Naruto, what's wrong?"

"It is the sayomi curse." Jarek came limping over, his own face pale. He watched Hinata with a strange look of awe and reverence, but there was also sadness in his face.

"The sayomi curse?" Hinata asked. Her eyes never left Naruto, though he was by now not even aware of his surroundings. She ran her fingers through his hair soothingly, trying to give him comfort and keep him still.

"Those creatures... the ones we call the sayomi, have a very potent toxin. It is a poison that manipulates a person's life energy into something sinister. It travels quickly, and causes extreme pain to one who is infected. And soon, when the whole body is taken over by the toxin, the person is changed..."

Jarek pointed to where Hinata had destroyed the sayomi. Hinata gasped. On the ground lay the remains of a human girl, barely older than she was. She was face up on the ground, her eyes closed, her face twisted in a pain long since passed. Her long hair was black, and gave the impression of once being beautiful and shiny. Her whole face and body spoke of once being beautiful. And through her chest, where her heart once beat freely, was the wound that Hinata had given her. Tears sprung into Hinata's eyes and down her cheeks at the realization.

"Naruto..." She sobbed, looking over the boy in front of her, thrashing and groaning in an intolerable pain. "Jarek," she pleaded, "is there nothing I can do for him? Do you know a cure?"

Jarek shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, princess. There is nothing I can do to save his life. Only Asha knows the cure, and even she hasn't been able to cure someone who has been poisoned"

"Princess?" Hinata spoke, but her eyes never left Naruto. Her voice was hollow as the thought of being unable to help Naruto invaded her mind. "Why do you call me that? I have been called that in my village for my family status, but you should not know about that. And you have been incessantly trying to protect me. Why?" Jarek did not answer right away, and Hinata continued, "It is not me that we must protect. Naruto needs us now." More tears escaped down her pale face, and landed on Naruto's cheek, mingling with the dust and sweat that stuck to his skin.

"Prin – Hinata," Jarek spoke, unable to watch the heartrending scene before him, desperate to help, "you have amazing powers not unlike our mystic, Asha. Your eyes... I am sure that they have power, yes? I have seen them in action."

Hinata nodded. "Yes. My eyes are a bloodline trait; I have inherited it from a long line of my family who also possess these eyes. They can see the chakra network of a living creature's... body!" Suddenly Hinata realized what it was she was looking at all this time in the sayomi. And she was almost sick to her stomach at the realization. "So that's what they mean by life energy... Ugh, Naruto... now I know what's going on." She activated her Byakugan, and she instantly saw why Naruto was in so much pain, and why she couldn't tell before if the sayomi was alive or not. Inching up Naruto's leg from the bite mark, infiltrating little by little the beautiful, vibrant blue of his chakra, was an inky black. Whatever was in the sayomi toxin attacked chakra itself, and seemed to change it into a sinister thing.

"His very soul is being attacked..." Hinata whispered. She could only imagine what he was seeing, caught in half-consciousness while his very soul was being literally eaten away, if he dreamed anything at all. She looked again at his leg. Every so often, flickers of fiery red chakra, what she assumed was the demon fox's chakra, licked at the creeping black sludge, beating back its progress.

But not enough to save him.

"Jarek, I think I can stop the progress of the poison. Is there some way to neutralize it in isolated patches?"

"I can do that girl."

Hinata turned around and saw a small group of five warriors approach them including Hammond, still on Jess' back. At the head of the group was a formidable looking woman with a very dark complexion and deep, brown eyes which were full of intelligence and compassion. Her greying hair was done in a long braid down her back. She was heavily built, but seemed fit for her age, well able to take care of herself. She was clothed in a long dress of simple brown cloth, and a rainbow coloured belt that held many pouches. Like the rest of the people with her, she had an exotic look about her that spoke of long days in the sun.

"Asha," Jarek spoke, relieved to see back-up at last."This girl destroyed the sayomi."

The three men and two women warriors around Asha started murmuring, and one of the women came up and laughed. Her hair was a bright auburn, hauled back in a long ponytail. She wore a long rapier at her hip, and leather armour. She looked like a fierce, proud woman. "Really, Jarek? I don't believe for a second that this little girl could defeat a sayomi... Oh!"

She was rendered speechless when Hinata faced the group directly, and they saw her eyes. Hinata watched as the group of warriors started to murmur again, except for Hammond. So many questions ate at Hinata at everyone's strange actions, but that was not her focus right now. "Asha," She pleaded, looking to the woman in front. Asha turned her head, giving Hinata full attention despite the disturbance around her. "Please! You have to help me save my friend. He was bitten by the sayomi. Jarek says you are the only one who can do it. I can help you however I can but please!" Hinata bit her lip to keep her composure. "I can't do it alone." She whispered.

Asha did not speak. She walked forward, leaving the warriors behind her. Hammond dismounted Jess and, leading her by her reins, walked over with Asha to stand next to Jarek. Asha knelt down next to Naruto, and began placing her hands on different parts of Naruto's body; his neck, arms, chest. She furrowed her brows every so often in concentration. She unzipped his black and orange jacket, and her hands came to hover over his stomach. She paused there for a moment, silent. Then, "This boy... he has strange powers as well, no?"

"... Yes." Hinata did not want to take the time to explain right now, and did not want to ask how Asha knew. To her, it didn't matter. "Asha, the poison is still in his leg. Is it possible to save him?"

Asha looked curiously at Hinata. "You can see the poison in his body?" She paused, and looked back to the boy in front of him, still grimacing in his sleep from the pain he endured. She spoke slowly. "I can heal him, girl. But only if you can do as you say you can."

Hinata looked to her hopefully. "You need me to stop the poison from spreading?"

Asha nodded. "If not, I will be unable to work fast enough to save his life. As it is..." She paused, and gave Hinata a stern, yet compassionate look. "I may not be able to save his leg."

It seemed to Hinata as if the world around her had stopped. She hadn't even thought about Naruto losing his leg. _"If Naruto lost his leg, his life as a ninja would pretty much be over... would Naruto want that? No..." _Hinata thought more, _"Naruto has too much love for life, too much left to do to let this get him down. If anyone could overcome that obstacle, it would be him."_

Hinata activated her Byakugan. She located where on the leg the poison was and the direction it was travelling in the chakra network. "Gentle fist." With pinpoint accuracy, she hit the chakra points ahead of the poison, and closed them. She watched as the chakra stopped flowing past the points that she closed, and hoped that it would be enough to save him.

Asha watched Hinata impassively, though her eyes shone with something exuberant. She then turned to the men and women who had come with her. "We need to get this boy back to my hut as soon as possible. Hammond, Feira, support the boy between you on the horse and rush him back to my quarters. Call Avila and tell her to gather the ingredients and boil some water. Miela, Amyntas and Fionn, help Jarek back to the healers. I shall join you soon."

Everyone jumped to carry out her command. The red-headed girl who had doubted Hinata's power came up to her and, shooting Hinata a look of apology, carefully grabbed Naruto underneath his shoulders, and with Hammond's help, hoisted him onto the back of Jess. Hammond mounted in front of them and spurred the horse carefully the way they had come. The other three fussed over Jarek, who waved them off. One man insisted in going with him, and the two of them took off with more speed than was probably good for Jarek's body. A man and a woman hesitated, and came back to where Asha and Hinata now stood.

"Jarek refused to let us help," said the woman. She had a round face and honey blonde hair, done in two braids. She wore a leather headband, as well as a leather vest, elbow, shin and knee pads, just as the man was. Except for the fact she wore a light, loose skirt and the man next to her wore loose pants, they wore the same pure white clothes, including a sleeveless shirt underneath their protective armor. In fact, that was the outfits of all the warriors, save for Hammond. Miela had a thin sword at her hip not unlike the red-headed woman, while Fionn had daggers like Jarek carried. "We insisted that Amynats go with him. Fionn and I will escort you back, Mistress Asha."

Asha nodded. "Thank you Meila. I am glad, I think, that someone aside from me shall get to know the woman standing next to me." Meila and Fionn, a tall, lanky man with a mess of thick black hair on his head, looked with timid curiosity at Hinata, who all of a sudden felt suffocated by all the questions she had, and all that had happened in so short a time. "The Valley of the Cosmos may have just been blessed by the return of the Sun Princess."

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><p>It was starting upon night when Shikamaru and Haruki started down the hallway for the third time since waking. They had returned to the main hall for their noon and evening meals, afraid that any wasted crumbs of food would interfere with a clue they could find in the room. While Haruki had been in an anxious, foul mood the entire day, Shikamaru had retained optimism and hope that, with Naruto and Hinata's disappearance, they could find a fresh lead and figure out from there what had happened not only to them, but to Akiko as well.<p>

The feelings were starting to fade when they retired for their noon meal, and were nearly entirely gone by now. But Shikamaru could not fathom giving up so quickly, especially on his fellow shinobi. He gathered his resolve and promised himself he would succeed this time.

"Shikamaru..."

The addressed looked towards his companion. "Yeah Haruki? What's up?"

"You're a genius, so tell me..." Haruki frowned. "What are the chances of us finding Akiko alive?"

Shikamaru also frowned. "Without knowing all of the circumstances, I can't tell..."

"No," Haruki interjected, "I don't mean like that. I mean, based on all the statistics you know, from how long Akiko has been gone and the fact that she not only disappeared without a trace, but left all of her stuff behind, her brush as if it were just dropped?

"Hmm..." Shikamaru calculated, "to be honest, Haruki, her chances under any normal circumstances would be slim. Real slim. But," he added as he saw Haruki's face fall, "I have faith in Hinata and Naruto. I truly feel that, with the three of them more than likely in the same place, that there's still a great chance we'll find her. You just got to place your faith in us."

Haruki nodded, but didn't seem entirely convinced. "I just feel so helpless, you know? I mean, I am supposed to protect my wife from the dangers in her life, and I don't even have the ability to do that." Haruki ran his hands through his red-brown hair. "What kind of a man am I?"

"A man who is going through amazing lengths to find his wife." Shikamaru stopped walking, and waited until Haruki also stopped, and turned to face him. "Listen Haruki, I can't change how you feel about yourself. I can only tell you that dwelling on failures when something needs to be done in the present is a bad way to go about things. The best thing we can do right now is to believe we can find something, and then try our hardest to succeed."

Haruki hesitated, but then smiled with determination. "Yes, Shikamaru. You are right, as usual. We _will _find something this time!" Shikamaru nodded encouragingly to Haruki, and both continued their walk. However, only a few steps more down, Haruki cursed. "Damn it! I think I left my lantern on in the room..."

"Haruki, it's not a huge deal..." Shikamaru said, trying to calm the man who was getting visibly worked up, "lantern oil is something we have plenty of, considering Naruto and Hinata left theirs here. And besides, you don't know if you left it on."

But this time Haruki shook his head bitterly. "I am a failure. What good can I possibly be if I cannot even remember to put out a lantern? We cannot afford to squander our resources, because if we take the two days' journey to leave and come back, not only will we be too tired to resume searching right away, but Akiko will have even less chance than before, not to mention your friends! See?" They had just turned the last corner, and their pathway was slightly illuminated before them. "There is light coming from the room. I did leave the lantern on. I wonder how much oil I wasted?"

But Shikamaru was interested in something else. "Haruki, look at the light. Doesn't it seem too... white to be the light from your lantern?"

"What?"

"Yeah," Shikamaru said, quickening his pace to the room. Haruki matched it until they were in the doorway to the room. Shikamaru had to shield his eyes as bright white light filled the room. "What is that Haruki?"

Haruki did not know what it was, and said so. Shikamaru moved forward, once he could see enough, and walked towards the source of the light; the fireplace. When he felt his hand touch the mantle, he lightly drew his fingers along the top until he felt them hit the lantern which was, after being left on for so long, nearly hot to the touch. Shikamaru lifted the lantern and, with amazement, excitement and curiosity, watched as the bright white light slowly dimmed until Shikamaru could trace it to the tracing of the sun on the fireplace. Shikamaru turned to Haruki, who watched from the hallway, stunned. Shikamaru gave a wry smile. "This place is full of surprises. Heh. What a drag," he said, unconvincingly, "this place is more of a mystery than I originally thought."

Haruki shook his head and walked further into the room and, kneeling to get closer, inspected the floor more carefully next to where they had found the candle. Shikamaru was experimenting with the now mostly dimmed sun, which still faintly glowed. He placed his hand on the sun, and watched as the light grew in intensity.

"Hey, Haruki, I think I got this figured out. It seems like it works by using heat to activate a mechanism behind the stone. Or the stone itself is a highly effective heat conductor." He walked over to the other side, and confirmed his suspicions. "There's another one over here."

"Shikamaru!" Haruki spoke eagerly, "There is a chip in the floor here that, not that I think about it, wasn't there before."

Shikamaru came closer, and looked at the chip in the sun carving. "I wonder..." He said quietly to himself as he reached into the pack on his leg and pulled a kunai knife. He took it and placed it into the chip.

It fit perfectly.

Shikamaru smiled, and looked at Haruki. "Haruki, maybe you should be more useless and wasteful more often. You've just found out where our missing people have gone."

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><p>Although the final light of the day had disappeared, leaving only moonbeams and starlight to see by, Hinata felt as if she had been up for days. Her eyes drooped, and she felt so sick she felt like she would prefer not to feel at all. She wished she could sleep, but she willed herself not to. She looked up at Naruto's sleeping form, and smiled sadly. He had been sleeping calmly for almost two hours. Asha had done wonders. She had never seen such wisdom, confidence and compassion in a woman since the Hokage herself. When they had arrived to her small hut, sitting on the outside of large stone walls, which led to more questions, Naruto was already there, placed on a small table being tended on by a child of around ten years of age. The child was Avila, whom Hinata had learned in the course of the day was an orphan girl that Asha had adopted as her own, to teach and to lead as the next mystic of the village. Asha told Hinata afterwards that she had sensed great passion and talent in the child. In just the short time she had been at work, Avila had stripped Naruto of his sweat-soaked jacket, shirt and pants, as well as had everything ready for Asha's return, including a meal cooking over a fire.<p>

Hinata sighed. Her head was still spinning from everything she had endured and learned today. With Naruto's hand still in hers, she closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the smooth warmth of the back of his hand. She let the heat sink into her skin, and spread throughout her body. Asha had told her that all of their efforts had been successful. She thought of the stressful hour in which Asha had treated Naruto's affliction, and ultimately saved his life...

_As soon as they had arrived, Avila had everything prepared for Asha. The warriors had dispersed to do their own things, leaving Hinata feeling helpless as she watched Asha treat the toxin that threatened Naruto. Asha worked quickly to create the salve that she said would draw the toxin together. While Asha mixed the powders and items she needed, Hinata, with Avila's help, sponged down Naruto's burning body, cleaning the dirt, sweat and blood from him. When Asha was ready, she lifted the light, cotton sheet that covered Naruto's body, and revealed the leg with the isolated toxin. Hinata's stomach turned as she saw the same blackness that made up the sayomi ooze from the chakra points that the poisoned chakra had access to._

"_Asha," Hinata began, swallowing back the sick feeling in her stomach, "is that what happens to everyone who gets bitten by the sayomi?"_

_Asha nodded, her face still showing no emotion, but her eyes told the whole story of the sadness she had seen. "When one's life energy is warped by such a poison, it causes extreme pain. It is like there is a war going on inside your body between your life and an invading half-life." She paused. "You see this toxin, girl. Do you know what the nature of this toxin is?"_

_Hinata watched as Asha scooped up the salve she had made and applied it to the affected area. Naruto moaned in pain, and started to thrash. Avila came and, wordlessly, held him down. Hinata let out a shaky breath. "From what I can tell, what this toxin does is act as an infectios agent, but it doesn't attack the physical body, but the energy created by the mix of physical and spiritual energy; your life energy, or chakra. As it infects that part of your chakra, it turns that part of your chakra into whatever the poison is, and slowly it spreads until it takes over all of the chakra." After, she added, "Like it's eating your soul."_

_Asha nodded; at Hinata's comment or to herself, Hinata could not tell. A particularly loud gasp from Naruto diverted her attention, and Hinata moved to help Avila keep Naruto still. Whatever the ointment was doing, it hurt. Hinata looked imploringly at Asha. "The salve is working its way into the chakra network, creating a pathway for the next step of purification." She looked at Hinata's frown. "Don't you worry girl. The distorted chakra has not left the leg, and thus has not infiltrated any chakra-forming organs. He will live."_

"_But his leg..." Hinata started, but Asha held up her hand._

"_No use worrying about that now girl. We've just got to see what happens." Asha was silent then, for a few minutes. Naruto continued to struggle against Hinata and Avila, and he could not contain the growls of pain that escaped. With each, Hinata felt a lump form in her throat. Then Asha walked over to a cupboard and picked up a small crystal. It was the size and shape of a kunai knife, and it was clear and colourless. She walked back to Hinata and looked at her. "You should do this part."_

"_I'll do whatever it takes." Hinata said at once. She let go of Naruto's arm and walked to where Asha held out the crystal. Hinata picked it up. She could almost feel a resonance with the smooth surfaces. It was an electrifying sensation. "What must I do?"_

"_Use your eyes, girl."Asha continued, "The salve should have drawn the poison to a central area. Now, you have to drive the crystal in to that spot and keep it there until the poison is gone."Hinata went pale, and started to shake. Asha frowned. "You have your eyes, sweetie. You can use that to give yourself better accuracy to get all of the poison. I would have to guess, and if I miss, drive the life crystal too far or keep it in the leg for too long, he may have to lose the leg entirely. When you've done that, your own body can do the rest."_

Hinata bit her lip at the memory, and the terrible scream Naruto let loose as she drove the sharp edge into his leg.

_Tears flowed as she felt him thrash underneath her. Asha had moved to his torso to help Avila hold his arms while Hinata straddled his legs to keep them still while she held the blade in the same spot. The resonance of the crystal to her own chakra grew stronger, but the crystal grew cold in her hands, and she watched in amazement as the blackness that once flowed in Naruto's leg was drawn into the crystal like ink. She had hit it spot on, and in less than five minutes the final trace of black was gone from his leg, and vibrant blue chakra began to take its place once more. From what Hinata could see, the chakra network was still fully intact. _

"_It's done." Hinata said, looking to Asha for guidance. _

_The woman nodded. "Remove the crystal, and place it on the table. You can undo what you initially did to stop the poison's spread. I will now treat and dress the physical wounds this boy has." And she set to work, leaving the only sounds in the hut to be the crackling of fire and Naruto's loud breathing. Hinata re-opened the chakra point, and watched Asha go about her work. _

That had been three hours ago. Asha had finished treating his head and leg injuries in about an hour. With the help of the other two ladies in the room, she had transferred him to a clean bed, and Hinata had sat there with him ever since. Since then she had watched with relief as the colour return to his cheeks, and the sheen of sweat that had covered his face to dissipate. His shaky breathing had become stable, and he seemed as if he were just sleeping as peacefully as any other normal night. During her vigil Avila had brought her some stew, which Hinata only ate enough of to say she had eaten. Her appetite was nearly non-existent. She almost resented it; the stew was very tasty.

Hinata caught herself as her head fell forwards in sleep. She did not want to give in until she saw him awaken. She heard footsteps approach her from behind, but she was so dizzy from lack of sleep she did not chance to turn her head to look to see who it was.

"Do you remember what you told me regarding the sayomi curse?" Hinata nodded her assent to Asha's question. Asha walked to Hinata's side, her arms folded across her large chest. "There's more to it than that." She held out the life crystal for Hinata to see. Without her byakugan, the crystal looked only slightly cloudy, like a glass of dirty water. "This," Asha said, "is not just an infectious agent. It is special form; a man-made life energy."

Hinata frowned. "Man-made?"

Asha nodded. "Yes, child. It is a terrible mixture, created by an evil man. Once it infiltrates the main life energy producing organs, it allows the people . His name is Umbraged."

"So he's the one who created that poison? And by just infecting one person, and setting them loose, he could create his own army. That's terrible. No wonder Hammond was so angry with us. He thought we were with this Umbraged. "

Asha shook her head. "There's even more to it than that. So much more." She took a stool and placed it next to Hinata's. She looked over Naruto, and his hand that Hinata still held to her forehead. Asha's eyes showed her smile, if her face did not. "Hinata... that is you name? You must be bursting with questions, as am I. I think you've earned the right to speak freely first."

Hinata shook her head. "No. You were the one who saved Naruto's life when you did not have to aid a stranger. I must thank you, from the bottom of my heart, and insist you ask first."

This time Asha rewarded her with a rare smile. "I believe that, without your help, the young man would not be here, but fine. I shall accept the first question. I ask that you voice your questions."

Hinata gave a momentary smile, and nodded. "What is this place?"

"This is known as the Valley of the Cosmos. Named because no matter how much time has passed, the heavens always remain open to us. Clouds sometimes come and go, but only at the valley's fringes. Every day we are blessed with sunshine that is not too bright, but strong enough to grow our crops and support our way of life. It is always warm. Even when it rains, the sun shines through and rainbows bless the skies. It is like a paradise on Earth. The people who live here are known as Starlings, because every night in homage to their blessed lives they danced under the stars, or at least," she added as an afterthought, "they did when it was safe."

Hinata shook her head incredulously at the valley's name, and the names of its inhabitants, the familiarity of it all, but kept it in the back of her mind.

"How can this place exist? Are you aware that the mountains surrounding this valley are snow covered and freezing?"

"I cannot answer that. I have never been outside the valley, but I have heard rumours of a world outside of ours. I have never had the pleasure of meeting someone from the outside world. Until now."

Hinata sighed, and allowed her eyes to close once more. She lay down her right hand that held Naruto's and, placing it on the bed next to him, leaned her whole body on the bed as well. She didn't feel as if she had the strength to hold herself up. Asha watched all of this in silence, waiting for Hinata to get comfortable. "You should get some sleep, girl."

Hinata shook her head. "I can't sleep yet." She didn't say why, and Asha didn't press the question. Instead Hinata asked, "Why does everyone seem to treat me so differently, even compared to Naruto? Jarek nearly killed himself protecting me from the sayomi, and Hammond and the others who followed you seemed to think I was something special. And both you and Jarek called me princess... you even called me 'the sun princess'."

"That", Asha began, "must be something you see and learn for yourself, when you are brought to our leader in the city. But know this," Asha warned, "that you will probably be shocked when you enter our fair city tomorrow."

Hinata gave a feeble smile, and sighed. "That's not new, the way things have been going. It's funny. When I woke up this morning, I didn't expect to be attacked by a horrible synthetic shadow. I didn't expect to be at the bedside of a very close friend, hoping with all my might he would pull through an attack the likes of which I've never heard of before. I didn't expect to be lost in a mysterious place that defied all logic. And most of all," she sighed and closed her eyes. Her voice took on a strange tone, "I didn't expect to be reminded of my mother so much."

Asha watched the bittersweet memories pass over Hinata's face. "I guess now that is my turn to ask questions?" Hinata nodded. "Why are these memories coming back now, girl? I can be fairly sure that I am not the reason."

"When I was a little girl, I had so little confidence in myself. My mother, to try and help me, used to tell me the story of a woman who appeared to this very Valley, or at least, one of the same name, and saved it from people who sought to destroy it and blot out the light forever." The surprise was evident in Asha's face, and even Avila had come over to listen intently. "The sun princess... a woman who was named that because she used her special powers, said to be made of light itself, to save the sun from never shining in the Valley of the Cosmos ever again." Hinata bit her lip to regain control of her failing emotional state. "It's ridiculous. I never thought in a million years that I was right about the connections of the Temple of the Cosmos and the fable my mother told me. I just _wish _I could have remembered more of the story, but I was so young." She squeezed Naruto's hand. "I wish you were here..." she whispered, so that Asha could not hear her clearly "I need someone to help me, and yet... how can I ask more of you, Naruto..."

Asha felt pity for the young girl. "Not tonight, but tomorrow, I shall reveal just how much of that story you heard as a little girl is actually true." The question she next posed to Hinata was of where she and Naruto had come from, which Hinata dutifully answered, leaving only extraneous details out. She spoke of the ninja world, of her own village and the Land of Fire, and the surrounding countries. She spoke of her own family, and of her eyes and her powers. When asked of the mysterious life source inside of Naruto, Hinata spoke sparingly of the nine-tails' history, and stated simply that Naruto was chosen to carry the beast, to keep it from attacking any other innocent people. She also spoke of the circumstances of their arrival to the valley, of Shikamaru and Haruki and their mission, and the reason they were in the mountains and the temple in the first place.

"Which reminds me, Asha," Hinata asked, "have you seen a strange woman here? She's supposed to have eyes and a face similar to mine. She's been missing for around three days now. Have you heard anything?"

Asha shook her head. "No, I'm sorry child. I have not. But if I do, I will come straight to you."

Hinata sighed. "Thank you, Asha. I wish that things hadn't happened as they did. The woman, Akiko, is who we were sent to find... I hope she is well."

"You have so much to worry about now, girl," Asha replied, "I promise I will keep my eye out, but best to focus on the task at hand. If you refuse to sleep, come share words with an old woman." Asha grinned.

And so the conversation continued well into the night. Avila had already gone to bed at Asha's request, and the only remains of the fire that had burned all night were embers that still maintained some of their red glow. The small flat was comfortably warm, and Hinata closed her eyes one final time.

"Asha?" Hinata mumbled.

"Yes girl?"

"When will Naruto wake up?"

Asha smiled. "It's late, child. He has recovered fully from the toxin. I even think his leg will make a full recovery. He will be awake tomorrow when you rise, I promise. But you must sleep or you and he cannot set out together tomorrow."

Hinata was already half asleep as she took Naruto's hand, still in hers, and rested her cheek upon it as she nestled herself into a comfortable position on the bed from where she still sat on the stool. The warmth of his hand made her eyelids heavier, and lent her a semblance of comfort. She could not open her eyes even if she wanted to. "You're right. Naruto... will probably want us to set out... together..."

And just like that she was sound to the rest of the world, the tension of the day and the intense struggle of emotion and stress finally forgotten as Hinata slept them away. Asha watched this with a motherly smile. "This woman right here," She said quietly, "is quite a remarkable person. Poor thing is exhausted and she still kept herself up most of the night. You would do well to appreciate the things she has done for you this evening." Her eyes rose to meet the blue ones, half open but full of alertness. She gave a knowing look. Though Hinata had been so tired she could hardly open her eyes for most of the night, those same blue orbs had opened on several occasions. He had heard everything since Asha and Hinata had started talking. And now Asha could see the thoughts and intentions in his heart through his eyes as they turned to watch the sleeping girl. She turned and went to her bed, pleased with the turn of events the evening had brought, and the hope she now felt for the future of her and her people.

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><p><strong>I hope everyone enjoyed :) I'll post again next week, I have another chapter written and another in the works! Until then, hope everyone has a great week.<strong>


	7. Entering the City: Royal Treatment?

**Hello again everyone. And what a great start; a day late -.- Such is life. I'm so glad it's Friday so I can relax! Although yesterday was my first day behind the counter of a pharmacy. I totally chose the right profession 3 It was such a great experience! But enough of that. I want to give you a fair warning; this chapter was tough to write because it's more boring, knowledge based stuff. Not a lot of action. Next chapter though... ehehehehe ;) I hope this chapter doesn't drive you guys away, because it gets better I promise! Sometimes these chapters need to happen, unfortunately. But you get to learn some background info that's pretty important for the story. Hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: The usual. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: Entering the City: Royal Treatment?<strong>

Bright, warm sunlight drifted in through the windows of Asha's small flat, and landed on the pale face of the girl who had slept soundly all morning, through the noises of breakfast preparation and chatter of early risers. But the strong light was too much for her eyelids, and the brightness finally broke the spell of sleep for Hinata. Slowly she rose, yawned, and using the back of her hand, tried to wipe the sleep from her eyes. It took her a few moments to get her bearings, but when she did she looked down at where she was.

"Naruto?" She asked quietly. She was laying where Naruto had been the previous night, and his absence after such a harrowing experience unnerved her. Her voice was anxious, but drowsiness still clouded its edges.

"Looks like someone finally decided to wake up."

Hinata's gaze rose to meet the maker of the voice that nearly brought tears to her eyes. Sitting at a small table, a plate of half-eaten food in front of him, was Naruto, wide awake and seemingly fine. Her face could not deny the wide smile that graced her countenance, and quickly she jumped up towards him, embracing him fiercely.

"Naruto!" Hinata breathed in relief, "You're okay!"

Hinata could not see the smile that Naruto also wore as her words tickled his ear. "Yeah, for the most part. I'm awake, at least." Hinata backed up a bit, her shyness returning with the beginnings of a lively blush on her cheeks. Naruto pointed to the shiny bruise on his head and to the bandage on his leg. "I still have a few battle scars, but I'm feeling way better."

"The boy has a lot of spirit." Asha spoke from her spot in a rocking chair on the far side of the room, where she held a cup of steaming tea in her hands. She gave Naruto a look that was reproachful, but held little seriousness behind it. "But he's not that smart. When I woke up this morning and came out to check on him, he was already up on his feet, and had food on the table. He _should_ have been resting."

Naruto gave the two women a sheepish look, and rubbed the back of his neck. "I couldn't just lie back and do nothing. I recover faster when I'm up and about anyways." He made to stand up, but he grimaced when he put his full weight on his injured leg. Hinata frowned. "Naruto, please try and relax, at least for a little bit."

Naruto sat back down, and nodded solemnly. "Whatever you say, Hinata."

Hinata gave him a strange look, but accepted that he would follow her instructions. Looking at his bright blue eyes, the vitality of his chakra, and the overall lively appearance of the man she nearly watched die just the night before filled her with too much delight to really bother with something so trivial.

"Sit down and have something to eat, Hinata." Naruto continued, indicating that Hinata should sit at the chair to his right. Hinata obliged and, grabbing a plate of fresh fruit on the way, sat down. "Asha filled me in on everything that went on yesterday so that I'm all caught up, and was just telling me about what's going to happen today."

Hinata turned interestedly towards the woman. "Well Hinata, I told you last night that our leader requested that he see you. I don't know if you'll be able to make the journey right away with her." She directed this at Naruto, and looked at his leg.

"There's not a chance that she's going alone." Naruto said this in a way that held no room for discussion. "I don't care if I have to crawl. I'm not leaving her side."

Hinata placed her face in her hands, hoping to hide the even brighter shade of red her face took on and the blissful grin that erupted at his words. Asha took in all of this in an amused silence. "Fine. But you'll have to use some sort of support. I'm not letting you hurt the recovery of that leg we worked so hard to save." She turned to Avila, who was busy reading a large book in the corner. "Avila, can you go to the woods and find a sturdy piece of wood for the boy to use as a cane?" Avila nodded obediently. She laid the book carefully on her cot, and left the hut swiftly. Asha redirected her attention to Hinata.

"Hinata-girl, you have to prepare yourself for some unexpected surprises. You expressed concern about being thrust into this crazy situation, as if you were dreaming of being in a fairy tale. And to you, that's what this may seem like. That story you told me last night, the one your mother told me? It is the same story that has been kept in the Valley of the Cosmos for centuries, not as a fairy tale, but as a legend. And a prophecy."

Naruto and Hinata's eyes widened, but Hinata had suspected for a while now that there was more truth to it than she knew. "So the Sun Princess... she was a real woman? And, at one time, she did save this place from evil sorcerers?"

Asha nodded. "Yes. The Sun Princess was a woman like no other, so it was said. Completely selfless, and very powerful. A Goddess on Earth. The things she could do were indescribable. Or perhaps, no one really remembers what it was she did. During the time at which she first appeared to our people to defeat the King of Darkness, she appointed six people within whom she detected great virtues, and bestowed upon them weapons that used the power of the sun to destroy the shadow beasts to aid in her fight. The warriors you saw with me yesterday, including Hammond and Jarek, are the descendents of those six warriors."

"Warriors?" Naruto was confused. "I know Jarek and Hammond, but what other four?"

"Ah, that's right. You were unconscious when I arrived at your aid yesterday. Hinata, you know them, and not to worry Naruto, you'll meet them soon enough. They are the sworn guardians of this Valley, and followers of the Sun Princess. It is their legacy as the descendents of the original Sun Warriors, and they accept it without complaint. It is in their blood. They are proud of their heritage, and thrive in their roles."

"So, hold on," Naruto said, squinting in concentration. "Yeah, this is all a part of this big legend of your home, but what does that have to do with Hinata?"

A knock sounded on the door. Asha turned towards the sound. "You will see soon." She rose and crossed the room to the door, opening it and allowing the two girls and the man from the day before to enter. "Miela, Feira, Fionn." Asha addressed them one by one. "How is Jarek today?"

"Fine, mistress Asha," Miela said with a pleasant smile on her face. She wore the same outfit as the day before, as did her companions. Fionn looked pleasant enough as well, regarding Naruto with a happy grin upon seeing him awake. Feira looked anxious. "We have made the necessary preparations for the su- uh, Lady Hinata's arrival, "Miela corrected herself upon looking at Hinata's expression. "Iscard is very eager to bring her into the palace."

"So be believes the rumours to be true then? So quickly..." Asha said, frowning. "Has there been any more word on the spread of the dark cloud? Any more attacks?"

"No more attacks since the one last night, but then again the people are too afraid to venture far outside of the city walls." Feira spoke. "Many are hiding inside their homes, as if that would keep them safe."

"Amyntas and I went scouting last night." Fionn said. "Along the mountains, the usual paths of the sayomi. There was nothing at all."

Asha downright scowled. "So that means..." Fionn nodded, casting a furtive look towards Hinata and Naruto, who were watching them intently. Asha growled lightly. "Umbraged senses something has changed here. Iscard, that fool... him and his foolishness..."

"There was nothing going on when we were at the city." Miela said. "Iscard seems to be keeping low-profile. Still, something is amiss around Radina..."

"That doesn't matter," Feira said, haughtiness raising her voice, "let Umbraged do what he will. We can still take him, with or without a Sun Princess to guide us." While she said this, her hand unconsciously went to the gold-hilted weapon hanging from her hip.

A reproachful look from Asha wilted Feira's attitude a little. Asha turned to the two people sitting to the table. "Hinata, Naruto, allow me to introduce you to three of the six elite guardians of the Valley of the Cosmos; Miela, Fionn, and Feira." They each answered in acknowledgement as Asha said their names. "They will guide you into the city and to Iscard, our Valley's appointed leader. With all the rumours going around after your victory over the sayomi last night, he wants to see you."

"You aren't coming with us, Asha?" Hinata asked just as Avila entered the hut once more, carrying a solid tree branch with her. It had a crude hook in it, but it would serve its purpose as a walking aido. Avila handed it to Asha, without a word as usual, and went back to her reading. "I think I would feel better if you were there."

"I'm sorry, child," Asha said, "but I am meant to be out here, using my talents to do something useful. And besides," she turned sadly to Avila, "the young one in my care doesn't much like the city. She is much more comfortable here. The people in the city... they do not appreciate her gifts as I do."

"Gifts?" Hinata asked, curiously. "I remember you said you were raising her to be the one to carry on your work, but what other gifts besides that?"

"Do you know what mystics do, child?" Both Hinata and Naruto shook their heads. "A mystic is one with a great connection to the Earth. One who has heightened senses, like that of an animal, maybe more; one who can use those senses to create potions, ointments and medicines to benefit her people. I am a mystic because I have those powers, through much training from the mystic before me. Mine if a learned gift. Avila has the true gift of premonition."

"Really?" Naruto piped up. "That's awesome! That's really cool. Uh..." He stopped. "What does that mean?"

"To have the power of premonition means that, at certain times, you can catch glimpses of the future," Hinata answered, awed.

"The power of premonition is a very inexact gift," Asha added, "and no one can tell when a vision can occur. Avila has had but two visions in her life. One was a few moon cycles ago, that told of the return of Umbraged. The other, which occurred not four days ago, showed the return of the Sun Princess." Asha paused, letting it sink in. "Premonitions of events to happen usually in times of importance. It's why there's been so much fuss about you, Hinata. It is also why Avila is so uncomfortable in the city; the people did not like the first vision she gave, and has since then treated her unfairly."

Naruto frowned. "I can relate to that. So, she saw Hinata and I fall into valley?"

Asha shook her head. "No, not exactly. The visions one sees are not exact. The can be as long as dreams, or as short as momentary glances, and they can be of anything or any time. It takes someone with skill to depict a premonition. Avila has not the training yet. She tells me of the premonition, and together we decipher what we've seen. It is part or our training." Asha paused. "When visions occur so closely together like this, it is a sign that very important events are about to take place. It is why now, more than ever, Avila and I must stay vigilant, and focus on our duty."

"So, because of her gift," Hinata began again, "and the resulting persecution Avila has faced, along with trying to focus on what's been happening, you choose not to go with us to the city as well?"

Asha could sense Hinata's disappointment. "Child... Hinata, once you enter those city gates, and you deal with what awaits you there, I will be quickly forgotten. However, if you feel that you need me, you are free to visit. You can send any one of the Sun Warriors to me, and I will help you, whenever and however I can. I have a feeling that you shall need all the help you can get to face the upcoming challenges before you can return home."

Hinata smiled. "Thank you, Asha." She glanced at Naruto. "For everything."

Asha waved her hand dismissively, and returned to her rocking chair by the hearth. "Yes, yes child. Now, Miela," She turned to the girl, still standing in the room with her two companions, "you will conduct Hinata and Naruto to the city, and the palace, safely. Do not let anything or anyone harm them."

"No worries, mistress Asha," Miela replied politely. "That was our duty from birth; we will surely not shirk it now. Hinata, and... Naruto? Yes, that's it. May you please follow me? We'll show you to our fair city now. I'm sure you'll love it. It is beautiful, especially in the full sunshine." Miela opened the door and pranced out of the hut, with Feira and Fionn close behind her.

Hinata rose from her chair. She did not know what to fully expect from what was to happen next, and she found her heart beating expectantly. She walked first towards Asha, and without warning embraced the woman. "Thank you, Asha. You don't know what services you've done for me." She whispered. All the gratitude she felt for Asha, Hinata poured into her words. She hoped that Asha understood the depth of it all. When she rose, Asha had one of her rare smiles on her face, and Hinata knew that she did understand. Politely, Hinata bowed to her and left the hut behind Fionn.

Naruto was right behind her. He also turned to Asha, a look of gratitude on his face. "Yeah, thanks a lot lady. For saving me, and for letting us stay here. And for this," he lifted the cane. He turned to follow Hinata out and Asha grabbed his arm.

"Young man," she spoke forcefully and eloquently, and Naruto instantly put his full attention on her, "not only is that young woman special, but she will save us all from a terrible fate. But she is also in grave danger." Naruto frowned. "There are many threats to her life, and all of our lives, if she is not protected at all costs. I can only entrust this to you. She depends on you now more than ever. "

Naruto nodded, and was about to reply when he heard Hinata call his name. Throwing one last look to Asha, he headed out of the hut and followed the other four to the gates of the walls they had seen the night before. Asha watched them leave. When she could be sure they were out of earshot, she turned to Avila, who was in turn watching her master and surrogate. "Avila," Asha said, "I do not feel that things are all as they seem. Hone your senses, child, and pray. We may need more guidance soon enough."

The walk to their destination from Asha's hut, which lay outside the walls, was short. Naruto walked in front with Fionn, while the three girls followed closely after. Miela, the most enthusiastic at meeting both Hinata and Naruto, kept them engaged in conversation the whole way.

"I'm so excited to finally get to talk to you, really talk I mean," Miela started, "I heard you defeated the sayomi with just your hands last night! How did you do that?"

"Well, I just used a special technique that has been passed down in my family," said Hinata, trying to explain it in a way that the three warriors would understand, "when I punch or kick, I can send my... life energy through my hands and feet to attack. My eyes can see the life energy in the body. By attacking the source of that energy in the sayomi with my own chak- er," she stopped herself, and remembered what they referred to chakra as, "life energy, I was able to destroy it."

"That's fascinating," Fionn said. He turned to Naruto. "Do you have any such power?"

"Well yeah, of course!" said Naruto, wanting to impress the group, "I can gather my chakra in my hands too, except it's a lot at the same time. It looks awesome, and it's really powerful."

Feira laughed. "If it's that powerful, why wouldn't you destroy the sayomi by yourself?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes at her, and said, "I tried, but it moved out of the way. If I had hit it, it would have been toast."

"So, what you're trying to say," said Feira teasingly, "is that you're slow?"

Naruto could feel the embarrassed heat rise up his neck, but before he could speak Hinata came to his rescue. "Naruto's attack, called the rasengan, is renowned from where we come from, just as my own fighting style is. Naruto's attack is, in truth, much stronger than mine. My fighting style, known as the gentle first, is a more subtle attack that has greater accuracy than most, and with the sayomi that helps. Of course, my eyes, which are a genetic trait that my whole family has, helps greatly as well. They allow me to see many things other cannot."

"That's so cool!" Miela's eyes were full of adoration for Hinata, though Hinata really couldn't see why. "I wish we could do that, right guys?" She addressed her friends.

"It would be helpful in some situations," said Fionn thoughtfully, but Feira huffed. "But do not forget, Miela, we are not without our skills either."

"I know that, Fionn," Miela said. "Oh! I forgot, would you like to see our weapons?"

Naruto smiled happily. "Oh yeah, that sounds cool!" The group slowed a bit as Miela took out the thin sword at her side. Naruto fell back from his place next to Fionn to look at it with Hinata, and both were amazed at the fine detail the sword had. The metal was a bright white colour, and shone brilliantly in the sunlight. The edge of the blade seemed sharp enough to split rock and bone. The hilt was a golden colour, and set in the top of the hilt was a crystal, almost like a miniature version of the one that had been used to absorb the poisoned chakra from Naruto's leg. Rainbows seemed to splay from the clear, colourless faces of the jewel.

"Miela," Hinata said upon seeing the jewel, "are these crystals common in the valley? Asha used one like this last night... was that, and the one in your weapon, related?"

Fionn answered first. "They are the same, and they are amazing. These crystals are called life crystals. They are very rare, and as strong as diamond. They resonate with life energies. That includes that which resides in every living creature, and that which sustains it; the sun. That is why our weapons are effective against the sayomi." He drew his own blades, which were nearly identical to Jarek's own daggers, but upon closer inspection looked like long, deadly throwing knives. Like Miela's blade, each also held a small life crystal. "The sun is caught by the crystal, and the energy is converted to something almost magical in the metal of the blade. The metal was forged with a talent the likes that we've never seen before. When the Sun Princess had these made for the warriors of old, the gift of such a talented blacksmith was lost. I doubt it could ever be done again."

"Which is okay," Feira said, "since these weapons have been with us for years, and have never lost their edge."

They had just entered the shade created by one looming side of the valley bowl created by the mountains. They had been following the white stone of the city wall for some time now, and had nearly come to the point where it ended when it met the mountain. From what Hinata could tell, the city was half built with its back facing the mountain, probably to offer some shade from the constant sun in some places. It could also have been to keep an eye out to possible enemies. They were nearly on top of the craggy mountainside when Miela spoke up. "We're just about there."

Feira glided to the front of the group, and started to search. "I know it's around here... Ah, here we are." Moving some bushes out of the way, she uncovered a shallow groove in the wall. With a flourish, Feira withdrew her sword and, inverting it so that the crystal of the hilt was facing the wall, inserted it into the groove. White light shone around the crystal, and with a slight creak, a door swung slowly inward, sending dust into the sunbeams.

"It's a tunnel that was made by our ancestors," Fionn explained, "It resonates only with the special life crystals residing in our weapons. It was used back in the days of darkness to allow the warriors easy and discreet access to the city when it was taken over. Their location remains known only to us. Uh, and well... now you." Fionn laughed.

"Guess that means we have to kill you now," Feira said with a wink. "Come now, we have to get you to the castle without any of the villagers catching sight of you. Besides," She added a little irritably as they walked down the corridor, the light emanating from the ends of the life crystal weapons lighting the way, "Iscard will probably want Lady Hinata to go through some preparatory stuff."

"Preparatory stuff? Preparing for what exactly?" Hinata asked, a little uneasy.

"Iscard is a very... showy kind of guy," Feira said, "And he'll probably want to show you off. Iscard is completely convinced after hearing that story yesterday about Hinata vanquishing the sayomi that he will probably..."

"Shh," Fionn urged, "We are coming out by the palace, there are people here who can hear us, so we're better off being quiet now."

"Soon, you two will probably be separated for a bit." Miela addressed Hinata and Naruto, "But not for long! Iscard will probably have some things he wish to treat Hinata too." She added as she watched Naruto's expression. "Hinata, if you need us, call upon us," Miela said, "please rely on us. We will do our best. Even we cannot predict what will be going on today, but knowing Iscard's style you'll probably be put in some awkward situations. Prepare yourself."

Hinata frowned at the referral once more to preparing herself, but once again, her time to ponder was cut short when the brighter light of day broke through a crack in front of them and blinded their sensitive eyes. When they were able to see again, they could see only the amazing white stone of a well-lit hallway from which they were entering from what appeared to be a dead end. Fionn took the lead once more, and brought them along the circular hallway, open to the outside world, and then up a hallway to a similar hallway. The hallways were dimmed only by the floor above it and the pillars that held it up; otherwise the pure sunlight of day filtered in from the spaces between pillars and spilled onto the group, warming their skin. At the top of the stairway, Fionn turned them away from the daylight and in towards a door set into the stone, a sunburst similar to that of the main gate etched into the metallic door. Coppery tones created the hues of sunrise in the image which shone brilliantly in the light. Fionn walked up to the door, knocking loudly. He waited, and then a voice could be heard on the other side.

"State your identity and business here."

"Sun Warrior Fionn, with Sun Warrior's Miela and Feira, escorting Lady Hinata to Great Leader Iscard."

There was silence on the other side, but after a pause the great metal doors swung outward to grant them passage into the inner keep. Fionn smiled crookedly and waved them to follow. Naruto and Hinata walked ahead of Miela and Feira into a darkened room, with a single dome of glass at the top of the room to let sunlight filter in. Hinata looked up and saw that most of the ceiling had once been made of glass, but had been frosted over. The edges of the room were dark and dingy, the only source of heat and light in the room being the dome of glass. Hinata shivered, and peered at the sides of the room. From the fringes of light that edged its way around the room she could make out the bodies of men lining the room, swords at their hip, watching the approaching group like hawks. She turned her gaze to the front of the room.

She squinted through the beam of light and could make out the shape of a throne of sorts, and a man stood in front of it, with two men on each side of him. She assumed that it could only be Iscard who stood at the front.

The man in question moved at that second, and the group halted. The man walked towards them, and entered the light, which illuminated every feature of his.

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he looked as well. From a distance he was a fairly tall man wearing colourful robes and a large headdress of feathers. He had a thin, long nose that gave the man a bird-like appearance. He was lanky and appeared to be weak, and he twiddled his thumbs and tapped his foot nervously. Naruto thought he resembled a large parrot, and smiled cheekily at the thought.

"Is that... who I think it is?" The man smiled widely, "Come closer young one, closer, let me see you closer." He stared at Hinata, and she felt her skin go cold. She didn't like all of the eyes resting on her, but she responded obediently. She heard Naruto, who was watching the man closely, walk close beside her.

Up close, he was very lean, but the weakness Naruto had seen was not there. The man carried himself proudly, and his face showed satisfaction at seeing the young girl in front of him. He gestured for Hinata to come even closer to him, and she hesitantly did so. When she reached him he gave her an embellished bow.

"My Princess," he addressed her, reverence and adoration in his wheedling voice, "thank you for meeting me on such short notice. I am honoured to be in your presence. My name is Iscard." Hinata shied her eyes away at the comments, but she saw Iscard turn and face Naruto, who had walked up to him as well. Iscard frowned. "Who is this?"

"This is Naruto Uzumaki, Great Leader." Miela stated meekly from behind. "He was travelling with Lady Hinata when they both came here."

"Yes, but what is he doing _here_?" Iscard hissed. "He is not the princess of prophecy. He does not belong here."

"Hey, what's the big idea?" Naruto huffed, insulted, "I never did anything to you, and besides..."

"Wherever I go, he goes." Everyone turned towards Hinata, "And vice versa. There is no alternative to that. We are supposed to stick by each other, and I intend to do so. If you wish me to stay as your guest, he must also be welcomed."

Iscard grit his teeth at Naruto, but turned to Hinata with a smile. "As you wish, my Princess. It shall be as you wish. Now, we mustn't delay anymore. We must prepare you to see the city and your subjects."

"Subjects?" Hinata questioned, "Prepare? What do you wish me do?"

"Not to worry," Iscard said, turning to his right. He clapped his hands, and one of the men who lined the room came to him. He whispered to the man, who nodded when the orders were given. Iscard turned again to Hinata, "I wish you to follow this man. He is a guard of the city, and he will guide you to some of the female servants who tend to the upkeep of the palace. They will make sure you are properly garbed to greet our people. Rest assured, you will be treated like royalty."

Hinata cringed at his words, but she didn't see any other alternative than to do as he pleased. She closed her eyes. Maybe if she were alone for a while, doing whatever it was that he asked of her, she could figure out just what Iscard was planning for her. What she did know was that, if he was going to treat her like royalty, she wouldn't like it.

"As you wish, Iscard." She replied, and headed towards the guard.

"Hey, what about me?" Naruto looked at Iscard, "I'm a guest here too, and I'm going out to meet the people too. Do I get some new clothes?"

Iscard looked at Naruto, then shrugged. "No, you're fine. New clothes will do nothing for you anyways."

Blush creeped up Naruto's neck as he glared at Iscard. "Fine, but I'm staying with Hinata."

"Oh no, you can't do that." Iscard clucked, "The Princess must be bathed and clothed in the traditional garb and accessories of the Sun Princess. I'm sure you agree you cannot be present when this is going on, hmm?"

"Ah... well, no, but... ahhh," Naruto sputtered, "No, it's not _appropriate_, but..." He looked to Hinata for help.

"If you don't mind, I would like Naruto posted outside the room where this is to take place. Could this be arranged?" Hinata asked Iscard hopefully. The thought of having Naruto near her, even if it was outside her door, comforted her.

Iscard frowned, "Yes, yes, very well." He turned to the guard. "Make sure he remains outside the door, and does not taint the princess' preparations."

The guard nodded, and wordlessly proceeded to leave the room. Hinata hesitated, unsure if she should follow, but when no one moved otherwise, she followed. Naruto took off after her, limping as he did so. He caught up with her just as they left the door. At the door, Miela spoke up.

"Lady Hinata, we will meet with you before you go out to greet the people outside. We will be with you when you leave the palace, do not worry."

Hinata smiled at her, and waved as Naruto and she left. The guard led them off in the opposite direction they had come before. Hinata took a deep breath; her mind was whirling. So many things were happening all at once, and she felt herself becoming overwhelmed. Iscard, and many of the people in the Valley of the Cosmos, thought her to be the reincarnated deity of their past, a woman with mystic abilities – no – she checked herself. She knew from the way the sayomi reacted to her attacks that the life force, and magic, spoken of, was chakra. The Sun Princess seemed to have been a ninja of sorts, with training similar to hers. That was why people were so convinced she was descendent of this legend. It _had _to be. But Hinata knew her past. There could not have been a connection... could there?

She shook her head. No, she was a Konoha ninja, with a family lineage that could be traced back long, long ago. Nowhere were there records that indicated that her family were descendent from such a woman. But why were the people so convinced?

"Something on your mind?" Naruto asked quietly from beside her, bringing her from her reverie. "We've been walking for a minute now, and you haven't said a word to me. You okay?"

"Well... I guess," Hinata replied. "To be honest, I'm a little confused over everything. People here actually think I'm a princess. I... don't like that."

"Why not?" Naruto asked confused, "Most people would love to be royalty. And besides, you did do a number on that monster from before. I dunno, if you aren't the actual princess, you at least have some of the power that she had."

"Naruto, don't you see? While we're here playing the role of royalty, Akiko Kimura may be dying somewhere." She saw Naruto's jaw drop. "Don't forget, we're Konoha ninja, and we have a mission. What we should actually be doing is heading back to that lake and trying to find a way back to Haruki and Shikamaru."

Naruto was silent, and he frowned a little. "I know. It's just that so much is going on, and to be honest," he spoke while he looked up at the guard leading them, "I don't think we could leave now if we tried. That bird guy back there seemed like he had a plan, didn't he? He's going through all this trouble to get you 'prepared', whatever that means. I don't think he'd let us go off on our own that easily. "

Hinata nodded. "Then what do we do?"

"We just have to do what these guys say. We really don't have much of a choice here. Akiko is probably here. If we stick around and ask about, maybe we can get a clue to where she is."

Hinata gave an apprehensive look. She didn't like the idea of staying here any longer. While she had been intrigued before, the prospect of being treated like a princess again made her feel a little nauseous. She could also see that Naruto's logic was the only option they had right now. "Okay, Naruto, you're right."

"We're here," The guard spoke, "wait here please." He disappeared into a room for no more than a few seconds when Hinata and Naruto heard squeals of excitement come from the next room, followed by two women of around middle age with looks of excitement on their faces.

"Oh, she _does _look exactly like the Sun Princess' statue!" Said one woman with her black hair hauled up in a bun as she ran her fingers through Hinata's hair. She clucked, "but she needs a bath mightily. Look at her hair! Such a mess..."

Hinata blushed indignantly. "My hair? What's wrong with..."

"And those _clothes_! They're so strange, not to mention filthy." Tsked the other, "Well, we have the perfect dress for you, one that Master Iscard had made specifically for you." She blew a strand of her reddish hair from her face. She looked at Hinata, and smiled. "Don't worry... Princess," at that word her smile deepened, "we shall scrub you down and have you sparkling like you should in no time. You will feel as mighty and royal as you deserve."

The two women went to either side of Hinata and led her into the room, leaving Hinata's pride a little bruised and Naruto completely bewildered. They disappeared into the room with Hinata before either could say another word to each other. The last thing Hinata saw before she was swooped into the room was Naruto's confused expression.

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><p><strong>Hope it was okay. Please let me know if there were any mistakes, as when I get them I go back and fix them up. Have a great week everyone! Til next time, I wish everyone the best :)<strong>


	8. The Return of a Legend?

**Abuh? Hahaha, oh my goodness! I should be hung from my thumbs! I had this chapter written all along and never posted it? I was about to post chapter 9 ahead of this one, to make things all the more complicated (which is why my note on next chapter may make more sense for my return). I guess I really am all over the place!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 8: The Return of a Legend?<strong>

Hinata gasped loudly as a bucket of lukewarm water was tossed over her head, sending her hair into her face and eyes. She sputtered as she moved to take the hair out of her eyes, but another bucket of water over her head undoing her work made her realize that she was getting nowhere. She stopped moving and just let the two women do what they were doing. Though she was naked and only half immersed in water, the air was at a comfortable temperature, warmed by the late morning sunlight coming in through the windows.

One woman washed her hair, humming a quiet tune to herself, while the other was busy running around the room, collecting things for her when she was clean and dry. They never spoke a word to her. It was just like being home. She grimaced.

The woman who was lathering the sweet-smelling shampoo into her hair hesitated for a second. "Oh, I'm sorry milady, did I hurt you? I shall try and be more careful."

Hinata shook her head. "No, it's all right. Um, if you don't mind me asking, why do you address me as that?"

The woman was surprised. "Why, wasn't it you who defeated the demon last night?"

"Yes, I was, but..."

"Well, Iscard told us all that the Sun Princess would fall from the sky, from a far away land and destroy a shadow demon. You did all of that, so you must be her! But... do you mean you wished to be addressed as princess, instead?"

"_Iscard... I should have known..." _Hinata thought to herself. _"He's already spreading this stupid rumour without any knowledge on who I am. I'm no Sun Princess..." _She grimaced again. All the terrible memories of being at home came back to her. She and her father had long settled their differences, and were now even getting along. Neji was her beloved cousin, Hanabi her adorable yet fierce little sister. And she loved them, and all her clan. But being of the main family of the household came with the added vexation of being treated like she was better than anyone else.

And she hated it immensely.

She had gotten used to it, of course. Sometimes she even enjoyed the company of her fellow clan-mates accompanying her around the leaf village when she was going about her business. But she hardly ever had privacy. If she never returned by a certain curfew when she was in the village, her clan would send out a search party. The only freedom she had really known was when she was doing her duties as a ninja. When she was relied upon, and expected to pull her own weight. Where she had to prove herself to not be a burden, or face the consequences of putting her comrades in danger. Where she was respected for her accomplishments, not the title of her birthplace within her family.

And now she found herself being treated more royally than ever before for less reason and it made her stomach queasy. She wished that she could just jump out of that tub of water and run. But once again Hinata felt her freedom slowly being suffocated by her new title. One she didn't even deserve.

Hinata sighed even harder.

"Cheer up, Princess," Said the woman who was now rinsing the shampoo from her hair, "You'll soon be all cleaned up again."

Hinata strained to smile. "Please, call me Hinata. Thank you for helping me to clean up. It feels nice, I can't remember the last time I was able to wash properly."

"I can't believe that you don't have any servants with you," Said the other woman who had now moved to get soap, "surely you don't always look like this. You are a Princess after all."

"Well, actually I'm not a princess where I come from. I'm not a real princess here." Hinata whispered the last part to herself.

"Well, you killed that beast, so we at least owe you our gratitude." The woman said, dumping more water over her head to wash the soap from her hair. Just as Hinata thought she was done, she felt the woman guide her by the shoulders to stand. Water ran in small rivers down her body. Leaving the warm water completely and standing in the air made her shiver, and goosebumps covered her body. The woman started to apply soap, and she felt the rough cloth against her skin whenever she started to scrub at any particularly stubborn spot of dirt. She left no part of her body untouched by her cleaning and that made Hinata even more uncomfortable.

"You know, you don't have to do this for me..."

"Princess," The woman said, either disregarding or forgetting Hinata's request, "it is our job. Iscard told us you should be absolutely radiant, treated as best as can be. And we are honoured to do this for you."

A knock on the door caught their attention. _"...Hinata?" _Naruto's voice called hesitantly in, _"What's going on in there? Are you coming out soon?"_

"Oh..." Hinata started to answer, but the woman who was running back and forth with fabrics answered for her.

"She'll be out soon." Said the other woman without stopping. She laid out fabric on a table next to Hinata, along with smaller accessories. Hinata eyed them suspiciously.

"Um, where are my clothes?" Hinata asked the woman.

"Oh, you mean the strange things you were wearing when you got here? Iscard told us to discard them..."

"What?" Hinata frowned. "He had no right to do that."

"Well... we did save some stuff, your leather pouches with tools in them..."

"What about my forehead protector?" Hinata asked quickly, "... the metallic band on a black bandana, I wore it around my neck?" The woman hesitated, and averted her eyes. Hinata felt her heart sink. "Not my forehead protector..."

"_Hinata, is anything wrong?" _Naruto's worried voice travelled into the room once more, in response to Hinata's voice rising.

"Tsk." Hinata clicked her tongue in frustration and disappointment. It seemed as if she would get nothing of what she wanted. "Naruto, please don't worry. I'll be out soon."

"_Okay, but I could explore..." _

"Wait!" Hinata shouted before she could think to stop herself. Blushing, she tried to correct herself, to seem less pathetic than she felt "Please... just wait for me?"

She waited, then heard Naruto's voice. _"Okay. I'll be here." _

Hinata closed her eyes and tried taking a breath to calm her mind and shaking body. She turned to where the two women were working on placing her new clothes out for her. She knew they had been listening intently, forming opinions. She didn't care. She saw it often enough at home. Resigned and without another word, she lifted her arms and allowed the dress to be put upon her. After she was clothed, the women went about doing her hair and making sure everything was done perfectly, all the while they spoke of the items they were dressing her with.

When they finished Hinata looked at herself in the mirror, surprised at how much she actually like what she was wearing. Her hair was shining, and done in a loose, long braid down her back. The dress Iscard had ordered to be made for her was beautiful in its simplicity. Even if Hinata felt a little self conscious in how clingy the material was to her body, for some reason it made her feel more confident. The dress was the purest shade of white Hinata had ever laid eyes on, and it seemed to give off its own light at times. Iscard had also left her some bangles to wear, and though the armbands that wrapped around her upper arm were not her favourite, she was fond of them all because of their history. She thought of the conversation she had about the jewelery when it was brought to her to wear.

"_Are these gold bands and this diadem also items that Iscard had made for the next Sun Princess?" Hinata asked, looking over the tray of shining objects._

"_No," said the woman holding them. Her eyes took on a reminiscing look, "These were actually left by the Sun Princess of all the legends."_

"_Really?" Hinata breathed, taking a second look at the diadem and bands. If it were true, Hinata thought, and the accessories were as old as the legend was, she could never have told the difference. They were sparkling like new, no tarnish at all._

_She reached over to where the golden jewelry lay, waiting for her to adorn them, and picked up the diadem before the women could pick it up. Hinata was surprised at how light it was in her hand. She looked upon it, and was amazed at its ornate design. Outlining the spires of the diadem were very small life crystals. She looked at the other gold accessories; each was designed as ornately as the diadem, exquisitely made. She admitted to herself that she may not mind wearing this._

_Suddenly, something underneath the rest of the golden jewellery caught her eye. She leaned over as far as she could, and lifted from the pile a magnificent pendent. Hinata was fascinated by the necklace that dangled from her fingers. Hung on a thin but strong chain of gold, a locket shaped to look like a half-sun moved like a pendulum, back and forth as it hung from Hinata's hand. _

Her hand traced that necklace now as she watched it glint in the mirror. The little necklace fascinated her. Her fingers traced each delicate sunray that jutted equidistantly from the other, the bulb of the sun itself, and the small crevice on the bottom, a result of its use and age. Even though it was the only one of the ancient remains of the legend that showed its years, it was the one Hinata liked most.

Hinata turned towards the door to leave. The women who had been waiting on her had finished their duties and went about other things, telling her to finish her own preparations and to then make her way back outside to follow the guard who had led her there. Since then Hinata had been exploring the new way she looked, remembering her mother's description from the fairy tale. And now she needed to get back on track.

Before she headed out, she grabbed her ninja tools that the women had saved, and attached it to the golden-coloured belt that had come with the dress. It hung loosely against her hip. She looked back towards the mirror, and her arm came to her neck, where her headband used to be, and suddenly seeing the necklace there made her uneasy. But she had kept Naruto waiting long enough. She headed towards the door.

"Naruto?" She said as she opened the door, but she saw no trace of him. She walked out and saw the guard, but no Naruto. She called his name again. "Naruto?"

"You're out _finally_." She turned toward his voice, and saw him jogging up the hall from where they had previously come. "I was getting wo... woah."

She blushed in embarrassment as he finally saw the wardrobe change, and he started looked her over. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"Where in the world did you get this get-up from?" He asked. "You didn't have this packed with you, did you? It's not very... well, you."

"No, it's not," she agreed, "apparently they've been expecting the sun princess for some while, and had this dress made. It... it's nice, though, I think. Even if it's supposed to be for someone else."

"It looks great on you," Naruto said, making her blush further. "But I dunno, it's going to take a lot of getting used to."

"Hey," the guard interrupted them. "if you're done here, I have orders to get you moving to meet Iscard."

Naruto frowned at having his conversation interrupted, but Hinata just nodded. "Alright, let's get this over with."

The guard nodded, and started walking to their destination, Naruto and Hinata following obediently. The hallway was lit every so often with holes in the white stone hallway, giving enough light to see by, but keeping the air cool. The small windows were too high to see out of, so they couldn't even tell in what part of the castle they were in.

"What do you think is going to happen next?" Naruto said, glancing sidelong at Hinata. "I mean, I know Iscard wants you to introduce yourself to the villagers, but why?"

"It has to do with them thinking I'm this Sun Princess. I don't know, to be honest. But I hope that there isn't too many people, since I wouldn't even know what to say."

"I guess all we really can do is wait, but I don't like not knowing what's going on." The group started to make their way down a flight of winding steps, and Naruto grimaced as his injured leg stepped. "My leg still stings, but it feels like it's healing up at least."

Hinata smiled. "That's good news. I'm glad... I... I was afraid when you had injured it. I didn't know if you'd be able to continue travelling with me."

"Hinata, I'd never leave you alone in this strange place, even if I never had legs at all."

Hinata nodded, knowing full well the truth of his statement. "Thank you."

They continued on in silence then for a few minutes until they walked to the end of a long hallway into a large, open room. There were two staircases leading down from the balcony they were on to a foyer. Smooth stone, laquered to look as smooth as glass, made up the floor, and stained glass windows were the highlights of the room. See-through colour splashed the floor and it appeared to Hinata that they were walking through rainbows. At the bottom, in front of the door, they saw Iscard with Miela, Feira and Fionn waiting for them, in front of two large wooden doors.

"Ah, Sun Princess, you look stunning." Iscard greeted her as she and Naruto started down the steps towards them.

"Hinata, please." Hinata repeated, starting to get a little frustrated.

"...Yes, well," Iscard said, not really paying attention to her, "please follow me. The subjects if Radina, the Starlings, would like to meet you very much."

"Now wait," Naruto interjected, "why are we doing all of this? Why does Hinata need to introduce herself at all? I want to know what this is all about?"

Iscard seemed shocked, "Of course the Sun Princess must say hello to the people she helped save a lifetime ago."

"Iscard," Hinata began, "I am not this Sun Princess you speak of, and I'm not going to pretend to be. I am an ordinary girl, a ninja from the Village Hidden in the Leaves. I will not go out there and tell those people I am someone I'm not."

Iscard's face remained motionless for a moment. "Ah, then at least," he continued, "you must introduce yourself as the woman who destroyed a sayomi with her bare hands, and saved their fellow villagers from being attacked last night. They want to meet the woman who saved them from another sayomi attack."

Hinata's stopped. "Oh..."

Iscard jumped on the opportunity. "Yes, we must introduce the woman who protected them from the curse. They are so eager to meet you, let's not keep them waiting." He turned on the spot and threw open the doors without another word, letting the brightness of the day outside fill the room. He hurried on ahead, while Hinata threw up her arm to shield her eyes from the brightness of the sun.

As she brought her arm down, she heard a strange noise that was slowly getting louder. Feira pushed Hinata in front of her so that she stood in front of the group, between Naruto and Fionn. Already the noise was growing in proportion to the widening of the doors. Hinata still could not see; sunlight flared from the slit in the gates, and she closed her eyes. She kept them closed as she heard the noise better, as she recognized the cheering of people growing more defined, growing louder and louder. Her heart was pounding. "How many people are out there?" She whispered, but the cheering drowned her out.

The gates opened fully and the depth of the crowd was shown. Thousands of people lined the white cobblestone plaza in the city center. Nothing else could be seen but the throng of people, pressing in on each other, desperate to get close enough to see the sight they had come together to witness. They cheered for the Sun Princess. They cheered for her. She froze.

"Go on, Hinata," encouraged Miela, "just walk straight ahead. We'll be with you."

However, Hinata was completely shocked into such stupefaction that she couldn't register what Miela had said, let alone will her feet to move forward. She was not aware of the fierce tremble that took over her legs and travelled over her entire body, or the familiar defensive position she had formed, with her arms placed in front of her body. She was only aware of the fact that all of these people had come to see her walk from the castle to the raised platform in front of her. They were all staring at her, waiting for her to do something miraculous. It was too much pressure...

She felt warmth touch her hand, and spread up her arm and then throughout her entire body. It roused her enough to make her turn her head towards the pleasant stimulus. Her eyes met Naruto's. "You can do it Hinata. Just focus on the end of the road. I'll be right next to you. I promised I wouldn't leave your side."

For a moment Hinata was frozen for another reason, but she registered his words and nodded. She tried giving Naruto a reassuring smile back, but she couldn't do it. She took a shaky breath, and looked directly in front of her. She took a testing step forward, and the cheering seemed to grow. She wanted to stop, to run away from the crowd, to hide from all of the eyes that watched her as she made this walk to the stage.

She realized she couldn't do that. She was supposed to be a ninja, someone who could face down any danger and fear and do what needed to be done. She _was_ a ninja. Naruto still held her hand, encouraging her to walk forward. Hinata took a surer step forward, and then started a steady pace up the path. The crowd seemed to love it more, and doubled their cheering efforts.

When she was halfway to the stage, she chanced to look to her sides. Her eyes met those of hundreds of others, all with bright and hopeful expressions of joy as they called for the Sun Princess, their saviour. Children fought to see over their taller peers to get a glimpse of the woman of all of their fairy tales. Men and women gave calls of joy and cries of hope. Hinata saw and heard all of this, and when her short journey was almost over, she found herself almost smiling. The sun still shone down on them, illuminating everything in beautiful pastel colours. She felt the warmth on her face. It gave her courage.

Hinata raised an arm and started to wave to the crowd, which created more pride in the Starlings who cheered even harder for her. Naruto looked over at her, and while he smiled, jealousy nipped at him. He beat it back, and felt a little guilt. Both ninja looked ahead to the platform in front of them. Rainbows jumped from the water of a large spouting fountain, decorated with sunburst patterns on its basin. The spouting water hid the rest of the city from their view, though Hinata was so focused on the people and the dais she hardly noticed. Naruto, however, tried mightily to see what else there was in this strange mysterious city. When he knew he could not, he also focused on the people waiting for them on the stage.

There were three men standing below the stage in front of them. He recognized Hammond and Jarek, who did not seem to show any sign of having been injured, though Naruto suspected he was in more pain than he let on. The other man who stood with them was a large brute of a man, broad shouldered and tall. His hair was a light ginger and he had scruff lining his jaw. They all wore the same clothes as Miela, Feira and Fionn, but Hammond and the other man wore large broadswords on their backs. Jarek still held his daggers in the sheaths at his sides. They smiled at the five people walking their way. Jarek absolutely beamed as he watched Hinata come nearer.

The five people met the three warriors at the bottom of the steps, and the latter bowed. Jarek stepped forward, kneeling at Hinata's feet. He took her hand and kissed it, much to Hinata's discomfort. "My lady," he greeted her adoringly, "welcome to our humble city of Radina. I hope that you find your stay pleasant."

Hammond, at his side, shook his head. "I doubt it." he said, looking meaningfully at Hinata and Naruto, "That old fool Iscard has _something _up his sleeve."

Miela shot Hammond a stern look. Fionn ventured forward and stood next to the red-headed man. "Hinata, Naruto, this is Amyntas."

The big man smiled brashly, and extended his hand to Naruto, who shook it. To Hinata, he bowed gracefully. "Hello little lady," he greeted in a loud voice that, despite the look of the man, was quite pleasant to listen to, "it is nice to meet you at last. I look forward to getting to know you and the boy who travels with you more."

Hinata smiled at Amyntas' kindness. "Yes, I would like that. Umm..." She looked uneasily at the steps leading up. Iscard whisked by her and walked up the steps, seeming to ignore everyone else. At the top, he looked back and impatiently urged her up the steps.

Hammond sighed, "Let us go, and so he can introduce you to the villagers. He doesn't like to me kept waiting, and I'm sure everyone is very excited."

Hammond and Jarek, showing very little slowness despite his wounds, lightly made their way up the steps with Miela. Naruto and Hinata walked together followed by Feira, Fionn and Amyntas. The cheering of the crowd had subsided, but their murmurs still reached their ears as they ascended the steps of the dais. The group reached the top, and the three warriors in front parted and revealed Hinata to Iscard and the crowd before her. Hinata felt her courage flee again.

"I want to welcome you to your subjects."

"Subjects...?" Hinata whispered. Iscard wrapped his arm about her shoulder, much to Naruto's dislike, and led her to the front of the dais, overlooking the Starlings that watched her every move, hanging on everything there was about her. Hinata took the weight of this hard, and she knew that the sweat she felt bead on the small of her back and her forehead was not from the sunlight that shone down on them. She hated the situation she was in, and dread made her feel queasy. She did not like the feeling she was getting from what would come next. She tried to brace herself.

Iscard pushed her almost to the edge of the platform, and then raised his hands to the crowd. The whispers subsided, everyone waiting to hear what Iscard had to say. The excitement of the crowd was electric, and Hinata felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

"Starlings of Radina," began Iscard in a booming voice that projected far across the crowd, "dwellers of the Valley of the Cosmos, today we have gathered because our prayers have been answered. No longer shall we hide within the walls, afraid to tend to our crops or to hunt or fish. Today we see the return of that great deity of legend, the one who shall save us all. The Sun Princess has returned to us!"

The crowd erupted in a loud cheer for her, and Hinata felt herself become dizzy. She placed her feet wider to keep herself steady as she listened to the people cry out in hope. How long had they been told the sun princess would return to them? How many lies had Iscard told them about her? Iscard had lied to her to get her to take on the face of someone she wasn't. How could she tell them now she wasn't who Iscard had said she was? She took a steadying breath.

Iscard raised his hands and then lowered them, signalling that the people quiet down for him. "Furthermore," he continued, glancing sidelong at Hinata and then forward again, "It has been agreed upon that the strife we have lived with now for far too long will end. Our fair and glorious Princess, along with her warriors of light, will plan an attack and slay the King of Darkness, and in mere days we shall once again feel free to venture outside these walls and continue our balanced and peaceful life, free from fear and pain!"

Naruto was startled at his words, and started to make his way to say something when an arm came across his chest, barring his way. Hammond held anger on his face, but he shook his head at Naruto.

"I can't just let him force Hinata to do something that dangerous!" Naruto hissed, aware that making a scene would just make Hinata more uneasy. "He's pretty much making promises for her and you! That's not fair to do to her! Especially something like this... we've been here less than a day, we don't even know what the heck we're up against!"

"Naruto, I know... but please," Hammond watched Hinata, though his own discomfort at the scene was apparent, "you must leave this be. Making a scene would make things worse, and Iscard has an agenda; he will not let her go without making her promise to do this one way or another. Her fate was sealed when she killed the sayomi."

"I can't just let this go..." Naruto started to say, but Hinata's voice brought his attention to her.

"People of Radina," She began slowly, her voice low but slowly increasing in volume, "I need time to assess the situation. Please, I-I'm a stranger here, and...and I do not know what is truly going on here. All I ask for is time... to find out what it is that must be done, and if I-I'm the right person for the job... I apologize..."

Iscard's face went white. He hadn't accounted for Hinata actually refusing. The crowd in front of her murmured worriedly, and some started to shout in fear.

"But you are our Sun Princess," Iscard started, "Surely you must be joking..."

"Please, don't..." Hinata spoke quietly so just those on the stage could hear, as she stepped back and towards the others.

"You had absolutely no right to put her in that position!" Naruto burst out, jumping on the stage and confronting Iscard. "We just got here yesterday, we were attacked by this giant monster, we're pushed into this city in front of a bunch of people, and _then _you have the cowardice to force her to fight something that's not even technically our problem?"

Naruto stopped when he felt Hinata's hand on his shoulder. He looked at her, and was shocked to see something akin to determination in her eyes. Though the sadness and confusion that lingered did not escape his notice either. "Please stop, Naruto. It's okay." Hinata turned to Iscard. "All I ask is for some time to walk among the crowd and to talk, to get information and to find my mind with all of this. In an hour I shall be ready. That's all I ask."

"Hinata, don't bargain with this jerk," Naruto said, "He just tried to force you into a battle without even properly asking you! He pretty much tried to get you killed without even letting you know!"

Iscard's face was serious. "Of course, princess..."

"Call me Hinata."

Iscard's mouth twisted a little in annoyance. "Yes, of course... Hinata. As you wish." He promptly turned on his heel and made to address the crowd.

"Starlings! Our princess has requested that she mingle with her people, so that she may learn more of her old self. Return to the festivities of this joyous day, and may those who are graced with an audience with the Sun Princess feel the strength of her power and blessing upon you!"

The crowd made a short noise of assent, and then slowly drifted off to the sides of the main plaza, taking part in games and eating of a=the large array of food being served, though the people's mood were noticeably slighted. Iscard looked at Hinata before huffing off towards a small, private pavilion set in the shade. Hinata's shoulders hunched.

"I feel like I upset him very much." Hinata spoke gently.

"Who cares..." Naruto muttered darkly, still glaring after the man, but Miela interjected.

"He is a man who wants what he wants. I suppose he means well, but even I admit I've never seen him so forceful. He disrespected you, and us, and for that I am sorry. I'm sure he'll cool down after a while. Still..." she added, "I never expected him to think we could be prepared in days..."

"So what is your plan now, Hinata?" Amyntas spoke. "You seem to not believe in your identity as the Sun Princess. I can understand this. It is much to accept after living in a distant place. But your abilities... they are remarkably similar to those of legend. It is easy to understand why Iscard is angered."

"Yeah? Why's that?" Naruto asked.

"He must also feels undoubtedly that you are the lady of legend reborn. By refusing outright to help, he is scared that you will not take up the calling, and doom us all. All his hopes ride on the decision you reach after the hour. But in the end, young lady, this is your decision."

"Whatever you decide, Hinata," Feira spoke, "we will still do our duty, and we will still call you friend for what you did for us the day before. You rid us of one sayomi, at least, and saved Jarek. For that we are in your debt."

Hinata smiled. "Thank you, everyone." She turned to Naruto. "Can you please give me some time by myself, Naruto? I need to figure this out, but I need to do it alone."

"Yeah, but..." Naruto wanted to object, but he knew what she needed. "Fine. But I'll be close by keeping an eye on stuff, making sure you don't get into trouble, okay?"

Hinata smiled. "Okay. You can check to see what food is available..."

"Food?" Naruto grinned goofily as he thought of his empty stomach and of filling it, and Hinata knew he would be fine. "I'll be back in an hour with an answer. Wish me luck." She turned, and made her way down through the crowds, hopeful that she would find something that would lead her to an answer.


	9. The Starling's Cry: Hinata's Decision

**Hello everyone,**

**No excuses. I have been very terrible to this story, and it's time to put it back to rights. My life has become far too busy! I am now a working girl, attending school as well, so my attentions have been elsewhere, and for that I apologize. As summer has once again returned, and my month-long trip away from home to discover the wonders of working in a hospital Pharmacy dispensary, and on rounds, has ended, my time has returned to me, and I've made a decision to finally give this story the time it deserves! **

**On that note... this chapter isn't my best, since half was written before my free time died and the rest written just yesterday. However, thanks to my pretty green notes (that I wrote at work actually :P) I have the entire story mapped out! So it shall be smoother. And now, onwards!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 9: The Starling's Cry: Hinata's Decision.<strong>

Now that she had the time to admire it, Hinata had to admit that Radina was one of the most beautiful cities she had ever walked through. It was unlike anything she had ever seen, a city aged beyond legend, yet it looked as if it had been built yesterday, exuding a timeless charm. The larger buildings in the city were seamless white stone, the same as the outer wall, with tall, organized columns interspersed in the mountainside, showing the presence of outdoor passageways and balconies. The windows had no glass panes, since the weather was never cool enough to warrant it. The barrier to rain and wind were painted wooden shutters.

The smaller buildings of the city which Hinata guessed were for residential purposes, were made of wood, and painted with murals bursting with colour and depicting simple things such as hunting, fishing, and harvesting crops. The depth of the bright colours fascinated her, and she was amazed at how much the paintings that were so archaic and simple seemed to come to life on the wooden walls.

She was also painfully aware of the murals depicting the Sun Princess and the legend she created in her wake.

She was on a quiet side street, away from the multitude of people in the square, walking on smooth light grey cobblestone interspersed with red and orange coloured brick. Every now and again she would glance up and see the shy stares of women and children peer from open doorsteps, where odors of fresh baking bread and sweets drifted on the breeze, making her mouth water and her heart ache for home, where things were simpler.

Behind her, Hinata could hear the festivities of the day continuing, unaware of her inner turmoil. When she had first left Naruto and the warriors, she had walked amongst the people of Radina who were in attendance the celebrations. She was approached by some of the more bolder souls, and thanked for returning, but she could only nod and weakly smile, unable to really say anything to them. Which didn't seem to bother them all that much. Even her smile seemed enough for the people, who smiled widely back at her and then joined in on the festivities, leaving her more torn and confused than before.

It was why she had left the plaza as soon as there had been an opening, using her seemingly natural ability of remaining unnoticed to extricate herself from the uncomfortable masses. She could still feel the stares of random passers-by, and excited whispers swirl around her.

"_If only they knew," _she thought sadly. She looked up, and found herself walking in a quieter side street. Coloured flags hung from the small wooden huts and blew in the breeze, and the only sound around her was their flapping. In her small daze, she had managed to find a street deserted by those who had made it to the square.

She was finally alone, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She continued to walk, but much slower, and she found herself finally able to think to herself, as she lost all sense of time.

"I... I really don't know what they expect of me..." She began with that single thought, and it confused her as much now as it did before. "They think so highly of me, yet they don't even know who I really am. Though, I guess, even some help is better than none, no matter what quality it is. They treat me like I've lived here forever, and I've done them some sort of service, but I destroyed one monster in defense, and I don't even know if that was a fluke. I may never be able to do that again, and if I can't... then Naruto and I, and whoever else trusted me to help them, may end up losing their lives..."

Hinata stopped, and bit her lip nervously. She wasn't a born leader like Shikamaru was, or her father, or even Neji. She had no idea how she could lead someone into battle, and have them rely on her fully to keep them safe. It was so much responsibility...

"I... I don't know if I can do that. I don't think I have the power to be that leader. But, can I say no to that crowd? They expect me to do so much."

Hinata thought of the disappointment on the faces of the Starlings when she had asked for the hour to think of an answer. The fear of disappointing... Hinata moaned a little in confusion, and shook her head to clear her mind. She was so lost in thought that she never even noticed the two pairs of eyes looking straight at her through the white picket fence to her left. She continued to walk slowly down the little side street.

"How do I decide how to continue? I see no other option but to accept… but I have my own mission which brought us here. We have to regroup with Shikamaru and Haruki, and find Akiko… if she's even still alive…" Hinata growled, "We have lost so much time already here with everything that has happened, and Naruto is still not fully healed… there's just so much happening!"

Then she heard the gentle breath, like a wind's sigh, from behind her. Hinata wheeled around, her Byakugan activated and her stance poised to defend, but saw the undeveloped chakra outlines of two children, hidden behind the fence.

"Oh," Hinata exhaled when she realized what it was what she was looking at. She saw the little bodies tense and wilt at her quick reactions. "It's all right, little ones," She spoke softly to them, "You startled me, but it's alright, you're okay. Can you come out?"

Two little girls, both not yet ten years old, came from behind the fence, dressed in white dresses not unlike Hinata's, except the grade of the material was cheaper and the colour was duller, a show of general age and less maintenance. The taller girl, who seemed the older and braver of the two, ventured in front of the shorter girl. "Hello… are you the Sun Princess?"

Hinata frowned a little, and sighed. It seemed everyone knew who she was, including the youth of Radina. "That is what I have been called since coming but please, call me Hinata. And whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with?"

The little girl seemed stunned at first, but quickly caught on to Hinata's wishes, "I am Heather, a simple girl of the town. And this is my sister, Lily. We… we were in the square, but we couldn't hear you that well. We wanted to see the woman that our mother told us about…" Heather spoke in a rush, "But you ran away after only a moment, and we didn't know why… we followed you as best we could, and we finally tracked you down."

"Oh. Um, well, I just needed to step back and clear my head," Hinata smiled, trying to reassure the girls, "Where I'm from, I'm quite shy, actually, and I'm not used to such crowds."

"Where you're from?" Lily piped up from behind Heather, "You're not from here?"

"No, see…" Hinata stopped, "were you told the story of how I actually came to be in the valley?"

"No," Heather replied, "Iscard sent many royal messengers to every adult in Radina, and just said that the reincarnate Sun Princess had returned to us, and that there would be a royal address today."

"_So that's why people don't seem to understand…" _Hinata thought to herself. It was not through the fault of the people, but Iscard's own slippery tactics in trying to show the people he had the situation under control. It was an underhanded and misleading tactic, to say the least. _"And now, the people have a false hope in me, which could leave them vulnerable…"_ She frowned.

"But, you know…" Heather continued, "You look so strong, Hinata. I didn't doubt for a second that you defeated that sayomi, like Iscard and the adults were saying."

"Uh, what?" Hinata stumbled for a moment.

"Yeah," Lily spoke, a gentle smile on her face, "You are so pretty, and you look so powerful."

For once, Hinata found herself genuinely complimented. "Th-thank you," she stuttered, "But, girls… the thing is, Iscard is calling me the Sun Princess, but I have no idea if that is who I am, or if I can do what she is supposed to do. I am a simple girl where I come from, with no magic abilities, and the legend of the sun princess was just that; a legend. I came here for a totally different reason, and it was chance that brought me here, and ever since I've been caught up in this rush of events, and it's… confusing. Scary." Hinata sighed, and looked from one girl to another, afraid to see faces with sadness of having their illusion broken. However, their faces were more empathetic, and determined. It surprised her.

"See, the thing is," Heather began again, "It doesn't matter to me, or anyone else, that you aren't from here, or you may not be the true legendary woman but," She turned to Hinata, her eyes sparkling with emotion, "We need you here! We need your help! It doesn't matter if you turn out not to be a princess, but if you can defeat the sayomi then please! Help us!"

"We're scared," Lily spoke solemnly from next to Heather. "All the kids, we don't ever go outside the city gates anymore, and it's boring. And our moms and dads, they don't say anything, but they're scared too. You can tell. I don't like it. I want things to go back to the way they were."

"It's because we're helpless to do anything. We don't have _any_ power to fight these creatures, but you do! You're the only one who has been able to stop the creature, and even more, you're the first person to be able to save a cursed being! Mom said that with your help Asha was finally able to help someone cursed, and maybe now no one else will be cursed. So we're begging you, help us!"

Hinata didn't speak. She let the words of these youths, not a whole lot younger than her, infiltrate her mind and enter the chaotic fray of her thoughts. And, not after much thought, did the path before her clear. Perhaps, Hinata conceded, not as much as she had hoped it would, but her decision for now had been made.

"Heather, Lily... thank you."

Heather looked down at her feet, somewhat embarrassed for her outburst. "For what?"

"For finally treating me like a person, someone capable based on merit and skill, and not on a fable. I truly appreciate it..."

A scream pierced the sky, and an uproar could be heard from the center of the city. From the plaza. The three girls looked towards the direction of the plaza, and saw the telltale dark clouds swirl around the area. The sun which a moment ago shone upon them was blocked, and an icy wind blew by them. And then, the tell-tale howl rang through the air, and sent shivers down their spines.

"What was that!?" Heather shouted, her emotions already high. Her eyes were wide with fright, as was her sisters. They both knew what it was, despite Heather's question.

"Don't move!" Hinata spoke with authority, and she knew the girls would dare not move. She twisted her body to face the chaos, but turned momentarily towards the girls, a determined smile on her face. "Don't worry. I'll protect you." She turned away from them, sprinting down the street towards the source of the terror.

It seemed impossible that a creature as large as that sayomi had waltzed its way into the middle of such a large and dense mass of people, but here it was, a fathomless ebony body with blood red eyes, fangs and claws standing in the middle of the plaza amongst people running and screaming for their lives. Miela, Jarek and Hammond were helping the people to escape down congested streets while Feira, Fionn and Amyntas tried to fight and distract the beast.

In the chaos, Iscard was nowhere to be seen, a fact that wasn't unnoticed by Naruto, as he looked around frantically for Hinata. She was nowhere to be seen, and he cursed himself for letting her go off by herself, but he never expected one of these ugly monsters to show up here of all places. From his position standing on the dais, he felt the chill of the sayomi's presence fill the plaza. The wind shook the flags of the stands left standing after being abandoned by their vendors. He gritted his teeth in frustration. He felt useless not being able to attack with chakra as swiftly as Hinata could, or from long range. His rasengan was almost useless in this situation. He wished he was able to use his wind rasenshuriken without damage to his body, but he knew better than that. He watched the destruction the sayomi was causing, helpless to stop it. He was just not suited to this type of enemy, and he hated it.

Spotting it from the corner of his eye, Naruto leaped from the dais and down onto the cobblestone beneath, zipping quickly to a child's aid as he became separated from his father, scooping him up and springing up again as the sayomi swung its tail around to deal with Amyntas' broadsword attack. Naruto held the child close, and brought him to a safe corner of the plaza where a side street led off into the distance, where the father held his arms out frantically.

"Thank you mister," The child sobbed as his father picked him up in his arms lovingly.

"No problem kid, now run, both of you, and hide over there in that building until it's safe, okay?"

The two obeyed quickly, leaving Naruto alone in the entrance to the side street. He turned and ran back to the plaza where the sayomi howled piercingly into the black sky. Having been exposed to it a second time, he could sense it now; the chakra that Hinata had talked about, the uncomfortable chilling, deathly feeling. Naruto could feel the hair on the backs of his arms and neck stand on end as he sensed it. He was nowhere near sensing where they needed to strike, however, and the beast was huge. He could tell from where Amyntas and Feira were aiming their strikes that the old tactic of aiming for its chest would not work for this one, and Fionn also had no luck with the tethered throwing knives, even though his range and area were increased. It seemed as if they had no way of actually inflicting damage on the sayomi.

And then he saw it; from where he stood in the entrance to the plaza from that side street he watched it in its entirety. The white of the cloth that clung to her body seemed to glow ethereally in the sayomi's black aura. In the darkness, all he could see clearly was that dress, the gold of the half-sun amulet that dangled around her neck, and her eyes.

Hinata, gently pushing past the throngs of people rushing to escape the dangers behind them, emerged from the side street across from him and ran straight for the monster. With more precision than he had ever seen from her, she jumped into the air above the sayomi, and with her gentle fist attack poised below her, she allowed gravity to bring her straight into the middle of the creature's back. Distracted as it was by its three assailants, it only had precious few moments to realize what was happening and to dodge sideways, only narrowing missing a full blow but still sustaining a partial attack. It howled in pain as it rolled on the ground, unsteady from its escape. It remained on its side howling, and the black of its body seemed to shrink back into itself.

Hinata wasted no time. Landing nimbly from her attack, she sprang up again and sprinted to the downed creature. The fierceness from her advance was like nothing Naruto had seen from her before, and it surprised him. He could see her gentle fist attack, and the explosive results as the seemingly simple force of her palm coming into contact with the creature's sunken back sent the black veil of the sayomi dissipating into the air like acrid smoke, and as before, the peace seemed to start returning almost immediately.

Through the quickly fleeting clouds barrier beams of sun fell around those who remained in the plaza, illuminating the destruction around them. Small stalls where games and food were being served were reduced to splinters and torn rags. Food and toys and flags and other objects of merriment were also spread everywhere on the ground, dropped by the Starlings once the sayomi appeared. The very happiness of the day seemed scattered across the plaza. and a heaviness lay across it all. Everything was quiet. Naruto's gaze was drawn to Hinata, however, and when she never moved for a minute after she landed the final blow he ran towards where she stood. Her head was lowered and her shoulders hunched and her hair blocked her face from his view.

"Hinata," Naruto called her name as he neared her with no response. As he reached her, he touched his hand to her shoulder, "Hinata, that was amazing… you did it. Are you okay?"

Hinata looked up into Naruto's eyes, her own shimmering with sadness. Naruto's stomach lurched for a moment thinking Hinata had been hurt, but quietly she nodded in the direction of where she had been looking. When Naruto turned his head, his stomach lurched for another reason. Laying where the sayomi had been, was the body of a child around the age of five. The mark of Hinata's attack had left no real visible mark this time around, but two large holes could be seen in the child's chest; the mark of where the sayomi had attacked and poisoned him, effectively trapping the child to the torture of unending nightmares.

"Tomas," Said Amyntas sadly as he and the rest of the warriors came up behind them. "A youngster of the city, loved to be outside the city gates, pretending to be a knight. He was one of the first to disappear when all of this started happening. At least his soul can be put to rest now."

"Hinata…" Naruto began, but he didn't know what to say to her, and before he could think of something, he noticed the slow crowd amassing around them. The Starlings that had ran from the carnage of the fight slowly, and cautiously, started returning once the chaos had died down. They came from the side streets that led in all directions from the plaza stepping forward, one at a time, filling the square until they all had gathered around the group.

Hinata sighed, and finally raised her head towards the crowd. Everyone was silent, as if afraid to say anything. However, Naruto felt there was a reverence emanating from the crowd as they watched Hinata's every move, in awe of the feat that, up until now, they had only heard of. Naruto realized; they were all waiting for her answer now.

He turned to watch her, not knowing she had made her decision.

Hinata met his eyes, and simply nodded. She couldn't talk to him alone, not among the crowd, and not when they were waiting for her response. She stepped past Naruto, and the six warriors, and stepped upon the dais to their left, facing the crowd. The sunlight was finally pouring fully through the clouds and turned the plaza bright.

She took a big breath. "I've made my decision." Hinata spoke, loud enough for everyone to hear her, but still retaining a reserved tone. "I know very little of this place, of you as people, or of the dangers you face. I am a stranger here, and I feel that every moment I'm here. I also have another task I was sent here to do, and I must do my best to make sure I succeed in it, as well." The crowd remained quiet, except for a few fearful murmurs that rippled through. "However," Hinata continued, "I will not stand by and watch the sayomi curse you all. If I have any power at all, no matter who I am, I must use it to help you. I will join your fight against the sayomi, and I will help rid you all of the dangers you face!"

The crowd erupted at her words, the quiet broken by the deafening cheer. They all whooped and hurrahed at her words, and chanted "Sun Princess! Long life to the Sun Princess! We're saved! Sun Princess!"

"Yes, people of Radina!" Behind Hinata, Iscard had crawled from whatever hole he had been hiding in, and snuck out next to her, addressing the Starlings as if he had been standing there all along. "Our Sun Princess has returned, and she has agreed to help! It is indeed a great day, a cause for celebration! We shall all soon be saved! Now, please try and enjoy the rest of the day. We shall move to the castle and begin our plans. Today marks the beginning of the end of our plague! Long life to the Sun Princess!"

Naruto watched Hinata quietly all the while as the cheering continued. He saw her lips curve into a small smile, and she never shied from the people as she did before. It seemed as if she had overcome whatever had been plaguing her thoughts. Iscard led her back down the stage steps, back towards the palace, all the while the people cheered for her return and her power. The Sun Warriors looked to each other slowly.

"Well, it's settled," Fionn said, "I guess, sooner now rather than later, we will be engaging the enemy head on."

"Finally," Feira spoke. Her legs were a maze of scrapes from her constant sliding assaults on the sayomi, but she was otherwise unharmed, and she seemed ready to go again. "It has been long enough for everyone living in this terror. This will decide our fate."

Amyntas nodded solemnly. "I hope so..." He rumbled quietly, as he turned and led the way for the others to follow Hinata and Iscard back to the castle, presumably to determine the plan of action.

Naruto took a step with them, then stopped. He bit his lip and narrowed his gaze to their backs. He had a nasty feeling in the pit of his stomach about all of this. He had no doubt for some reason that Hinata would choose to help, but he didn't think she would embrace their cheers so quickly considering what he knew of her nature, and there was something else in her voice that confused him.

And for some reason it bothered him that a part of him felt jealous, more than he cared to admit. And he couldn't say why.

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><p><strong>This chapter was more slow than I had hoped, but I felt it was necessary. I hope everyone likes. A new chapter is in the works. I will not stop until this story is done. Until next time, I hope everyone is well and happy 3<strong>


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